When Sarah Josepha Buell entered the world in 1788, the chances of her growing up to be an educated, powerful executive were slim. A predecessor of Diana Vreeland, Harper's Bazaar/Vogue's legendary editor-in-chief, Sarah guided women by combining literature with household remedies and the latest fashion news from Paris in the pages of her ladies journal, Godey's Lady's Book. Born too early to enjoy a sisterhood with early feminists and independent career women, this extraordinary woman stood up for a generation of American women who were just finding their public voice.
Growing up, Sarah was extremely close to her brother, Horatio. Upon enrollment at Dartmouth College, Horatio literally shared his education with her, providing the same textbooks and course assignments required by the school.
While such efficient tutoring did not result in a diploma, it allowed Sarah to become a school teacher before she went to help her father run the family inn at Newport in 1811. Sarah married lawyer David Hale in 1813 and they moved to Boston. The Hales had five children before David died suddenly in 1822, leaving Sarah as the family's sole provider. After having many of her novels published, Sarah was made editor of Ladies' Magazine (1827-1836), and later of Godey's Lady's Book (1837-1877).
Although Godey's Lady's Book is primarily known today for its hand-colored fashion plates of the era, the reality was that Sarah was against including the plates in the magazine. They were only published against her own wishes, as Sarah felt that the majority of the clothing featured was impractical for the American woman. Sarah regularly ran new material by female authors, as well as by such men as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Edgar Allan Poe, the latter being paid fifty cents per page for his work by Sarah. Godey's Lady's Book also featured architectural patterns from 1846 on, music and dance composition and instruction, advice on family medicine, consumer goods, science and Sarah's own specialties, book reviews and editorials. She used her editorials in order to further the cause of women's rights, covering such topics as property rights for women after marriage, day care for children, physical exercise and the training of women in such fields as medicine and the law.
Sarah was also a prolific author, turning out fiction, children's books, plays, etiquette books and cookbooks. Like the work of her English counterpart, Isabella Beeton, Sarah's classic cookbook, THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPER, written in 1841, is still being reprinted today.
Much smaller than Beeton's definitive tome, Sarah's work is valuable to modern writers as it includes many of Sarah's own "editorials." For instance, as to the question of serving alcoholic beverages, Sarah cautions, "Distilled spirituous liquors should never be considered drinkable-they may be necessary, sometimes, as a medicine, but never, never consider them a necessary item in house-keeping."
And her advice to female servants is as follows: "Country girls who come to the cities as help because they can there obtain large wages, should be careful in their diet...to take a young woman, one of our farmer's daughters, from the free, pure air of the country, and confine her in the hot kitchen, often underground, of one of our crowded city establishments, is such a change, that unless she is very particular in her care of herself, will soon cause her to look old, haggard, and disagreeable. Her hair will be often matted with sweat and dust, and her complexion like a mummy." In order to avoid these (highly) unpleasant consequences, Sarah advises that a girl eat regular meals, sleep in a well-aired room and wash thoroughly before going to bed.
And, yes, THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPER also contains practical cooking and housekeeping advice, instruction and recipes. It offers recipes for the average housewife, along with commentary on the sick room and care of children. I wonder if Diana Vreeland knew how to make Ox Cheek Soup?
Recommended Titles:
|
Site Map
by Isabelle Webb Entrikin
