Gender Studies at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Many of the Clark Library’s early modern books on marriage and divorce describe the rigid roles of husbands and wives and the societal expectations regarding marital relationships. While many of the texts are serious texts written by religious figures and philosophers, some of the texts in our collection are satirical and comedically narrate the joys and ills of married life.

Many of the Clark Library’s early modern books on marriage and divorce describe the rigid roles of husbands and wives and the societal expectations regarding marital relationships. While many of the texts are serious texts written by religious figures and philosophers, some of the texts in our collection are satirical and comedically narrate the joys and ills of married life. 

Examples: 

• Seymar, William. Conjugium Conjurgium: Or, Some Serious Considerations on Marriage. Wherein (by Way of Caution and Advice to a Friend) Its Nature, Ends, Events, Concomitant Accidents, &c. Are Examined. London: Printed for John Amery, 1684. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; HQ731 .R18 1684 *: Topics include the nature of marriage; society’s impact on marriage; the reasons and grounds of love; virtue, piety, and honesty; beauty; riches; apparel and deportment; singing, music, and dancing; lust; descriptions of unmarried life; and second marriages. 
• Ward, Edward. Matrimony Unmask’d; or, The Comforts and Discomforts of Marriage Display’d / By the Author of Aminidab; or, The Quaker’s Vision. London: Printed by H. Meere, for J. Woodward, 1714. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; PR3757.W8 M2 1714 *: A series of dialogues between married couples. Some conversations include, “Between a pert Lady and her Spouse, concerning Superiority in Wedlock,” “Between a fond Gentleman, and his coaxing Lady,” “Between the happy Pair, concerning the Comforts of mutual Fidelity, and the innocent Pleasures of a retir’d Life,” “Between a young Libertine, and an old canting rich Widow, he had marry’d for her Money,” and “Between the forgiving Husband, and the penitent Adultress [sic].” 
• Wolseley, Charles. The Case of Divorce and Re-Marriage Thereupon Discussed.  / By a Reverend Prelate of the Church of England and a Private Gentleman. ; Occasioned by the Late Act of Parliament for the Divorce of the Lord Rosse. London: printed for Nevill Simmons, 1673. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; B1234 1676 *: A Christian approach to divorce and remarriage by Charles Wolseley (1630?–1714), a British politician.

Themes of motherhood, fatherhood, and general parenting responsibilities frequent the Clark Library rare books collection. Many early modern texts in the Clark Library educate parents on the so-called “proper” ways to raise children, while the twentieth-century and twenty-first-century works in the collection tend to offer more nuanced and emotionally intelligent approaches to parenting. 

Examples:

• British Lying-In Hospital for Married Women, Henry Baldero, and Thomas Halcott. “Account Book for the British Lying-in Hospital: Manuscript.” 1767. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; f MS.2022.011: An account book kept from 1767–1782 that gives details about patron contributions and expenditures. 
• Gregory, John, Sarah Pennington, and Anne Thérèse de Marguenat de Courcelles Lambert. The Young Lady’s Parental Monitor. London: Printed for Joseph Wenman, 1790. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; BJ1681 .Y73 *: Includes Gregory’s “Father’s legacy to his daughters,” Pennington’s “Unfortunate mother’s advice to her absent daughters,” and de Lambert’s “Advice of a mother to her daughter.” 
• Taggard, Genevieve. Monologue for Mothers: (Aside). New York: Random House, 1929. Clark Library Press Collection; Press coll. Ritchie Lib. 0601: A poem about the nuances and emotions of motherhood by Genevieve Taggard (1894–1948), an American poet. 
• Waite, Joseph. The Parents Primer and the Mothers Looking-Glasse. Or, Counsel for Parents in the Education of Children: For Their Temporal, Spiritual and Eternal Happinesse. In a Dialogue between a Minister and a Father. To Which Is Added a Second Dialogue of the Decalogue. And to That a Third Dialogue Concerning the Sabbath-Day [sic]. London: Printed by J.A. for the author, 1681. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks; BZ W1452p 1681 *: Topics include directions for children who will or will not listen; time wasters; the dangers of riches; private prayers; and family duties. 
• Windowpane Press., Bonnie Thompson Norman, Alicia Hall, Susan Hsu, Lisa Kraft, Kathryn Muckler, Jennifer Murphy, et al. A Parent’s Patchwork of Proverbs & Proscriptions. Seattle: Windowpane Press, 2007. Clark Library Press Collection; Press coll. Windowpane 012: Colorful sheets of paper are stitched together in the style of a patchwork quilt. Each square contains some wisdom from a parent to a child. 

Examples: 

Collection of Letters from Edward Burne-Jones to Margaret Burne-Jones Mackail

Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) was a British artist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the Aesthetic movement. His works embraced medievalism, chivalry, and romance, and he shunned Victorian industrialism; he is known for paintings like The Love Song (1868–1877), Love Among the Ruins (1870–1873), and Phyllis and Demophoön (1870). Burne-Jones co-founded the firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company with William Morris (1834–1896), a close friend of his from Oxford. Burne-Jones worked with the firm to create stained-glass designs, carpets, and more. This collection highlights the letters he wrote to his daughter, Margaret Burne-Jones Mackail (1866–1953) between 1873–1898. Many of the letters contain ink drawings and caricatures of Burne-Jones. 

Collection of Letters from Edward Burne-Jones to Violet Maxse

A collection of letters sent by Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) to Violet Maxse (1872–1958), the Viscountess Milner. Maxse was a British socialite and editor of the National Review, a conservative political newspaper, from 1932–1948. Materials include:

• Clippings and published images of suffragists and “advanced women,” ca. 1892–1895 (Box 1, Folders 1–18): Newspaper and periodical illustrations and photographs of suffragists and what Burne-Jones and Maxse called “advanced women.” Advanced women refer to those who were on the forefront of women’s rights movements and women who pursued careers.  
• Letter with a self-portrait, March 1893 (Box 2, Folder S-37, L-42, p. 45): A letter written by Burne-Jones regarding Maxse’s departure for Paris. It is signed with a sad-looking self-portrait of himself with a palette and paints. 
• Drawing of lobsters and a crab, undated (Box 2, Folder S-4, p. 1).
• Octopus sketches, undated (Box 2, Folder S-5).

To find pamphlets, printed books, and fine press books go to UC Library Search. Click on “Advanced Search,” select the “Subject” field, and type either “Motherhood,” “Religious education of children,” “Youth – conduct of life,” “Parent and child,” “Families,” “Marriage,” “Divorce,” or “Remarriage.” To find works by specific authors, select the “Author” field and type “Taggard, Genevieve, 1894-1948,” for example. You can also do a keyword search either in the simple search or in the "Any field" field of the “Advanced Search.” Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the “UCLA Locations” facet. Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the “UCLA Locations” facet. 

For detailed inventories of archival collections related to letters between family members please consult the Clark Library's page on the Online Archive of California (OAC).