Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
I am indebted to my good friend Virginia Martin for alerting me to the latest issue of "Piecework" and the wonderful article by Lisa-Anne Bauch about Louisa May Alcott's needlework and its connection to one of her later juvenile novels, Jack and Jill. Bauch summarizes the plot and weaves Louisa's use of needlework to flesh …
Continue reading "Louisa May Alcott’s exquisite needlework and its connection to “Jack and Jill”"
As a writer, army nurse, single mother, caretaker and homemaker, the celebrated author of Little Women blazed a trail for women managing home and career. When people hear the name of Louisa May Alcott, they think of Little Women. A novel written for girls, this best-selling classic celebrates the home, marriage and motherhood. It also …
In anticipation of my presentation of "Victorian Huswifery with the Alcotts," I thought I would share with you portions of my talk. The essence of the talk outlines the life of the family covering more than eighty years of the nineteenth century. Their wide variety of living arrangements as they struggled through poverty to eventual …
Continue reading "Victorian Huswifery with the Alcotts: Louisa May Alcott’s domestic service"
I am currently preparing for a presentation I will be giving about Victorian domestic life as seen through the living experiences of the Alcotts. For me the most fascinating period of that part of their history are the Boston years (1848-1855) where they essentially existed as nomads. Their dwellings ranged from cheap rented rooms and …
Coming up on Thursday, February 8 from 7 to 8:30 pm at the Brigham Hill Community Barn in Grafton, MA (my hometown), I will be giving a presentation on the Victorian housewife as seen through the experiences of the Alcotts: Description I will explores the back-breaking work of the typical Victorian housewife through the experiences …
Continue reading "“Housekeeping ain’t no joke …” Victorian Huswifery with the Alcotts"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 