Good morning from Southwest England! I'm Elaine Chalus, Professor of British History at Bath Spa University, which is based in the beautiful World Heritage Site city of Bath.
Much of my research has been on various aspects of gender and political culture in the long 18C. I have always been interested in the overlap between the social and political arenas and how this plays out, particularly with regard to elite women's involvement in political life at a time when politics was ostensibly men's business. I am fascinated by the rough-and-tumble of 18C parliamentary elections, the ubiquity of patronage, and the use of social situations (walks, talks, teas, dinners, balls, assemblies, etc.) for political ends. Eighteenth-century politics manifests itself in everything from the dreadful doggerel of election poetry through trips to spas and horse races, to the adoption of political clothing and accessories at points of high political fervour (political fans, bandeaux, ornaments, Regency caps, etc.) and the purchase and use of politicized pottery, such as anti-Stamp Act teapots.
As wives, mothers and daughters in political families, at a time when political interests were familial and political participation was intertwined with notions of personal and familial advancement, elite women were anything but oblivious to politics.
In addition to the above, I am interested in spa cultures, and have worked on 18C Bath, queen of the spas in 18C England, and, more recently on 19C Brighton, as well as the English abroad in Italy and Nice in the 19C.
I've also done some work with radio and television over the years, particularly acting as a historical consultant to programmes like Time Team.
I will be online today between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST to answer questions and will return tomorrow to check for any late additions.
NB: Thanks for all the fascinating questions today. I will check back tomorrow in case there are any others. Do come and find me on Twitter @ehchalus and say hello!
Hello Dr. Chalus!
I'm a historian of pornography and obscenity in England at roughly the same time as you. Much of my research also delves into history of gender, sexuality, and privacy during this time period, so I was very excited to hear about your AMA!
I have a few questions for you, feel free to answer as many or as few as you like!
Do you have any recommendations for overview texts on history of gender or sexuality during the long eighteenth century?
As you're probably familiar, privacy was an increasingly established concept during this time, and the architecture of the home moved from single-room and shared beds to private bedrooms--did this have any particular impact on women domestically that you know of?
In many cases, when husbands and sons were arrested or thrown in jail for publishing pornography, wives and daughters would run printing presses to continue the family business in a sense--was this common in other fields?
Do you have any opinion on Samuel Pepys and his depiction/involvement with women?
Various Pornography and Libertine Literature historians argue that female authors like Aphra Behn or Delrivier Manley had a huge impact on the early novel form--do you agree, or have any input on the argument?
You mention in the opening that you in the 18th Century there elite women had at least some place in political life (even if indirectly). But I am wondering about
How did femininity as a concept shape politics in the 18th Century. For example, Judith Walkowitz argues that in the 19th C. the Jack the Ripper murders acted as a kind of catalyst for a discussion of sexual morality, femininity and public space. This transcended "women" per se, and really helped to get at 19th C/Late Victorian notions of gender and sexuality. Is there an equivalent in the 18th C? (How) Were the beginnings of 19th C notions of gender apparent in the 18th C?
How did the role of elite women and non-elite women differ with regard to politics in 18th C. England? Did elite women resent their lack of explicit permission to participate? Was their any notion of solidarity with non-elite women?
Hi showmm - 'Power' is an interesting word when it comes to women's political involvement. The most 'powerful' political women, if we think about politics traditionally in terms of high politics, were of course — at least potentially — the queens, queen consorts, and maîtresses en tîtres. They had access either to the levers of power themselves or the potential for influence at the very highest levels. Queen Anne (ruled 1702-14) and the highly intelligent and politically astute Queen Caroline (wife of George II) are two of the outstanding royal women of the period. Below them were the women of the Court. Probably the most politically powerful of these, in the eighteenth century, was Sarah, duchess of Marlborough, who was not only mistress of the robes, groom of the stole, keeper of the privy purse, and ranger of Windsor Park, under Queen Anne, but also fiercely political and involved (if not always tactfully so) in parliamentary and electoral politics. Leading political hostesses could also be highly influential: women like Mary Lady Hervey (1700-68) or, later, Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), facilitated introductions, meetings and negotiations. Georgiana also, of course, famously canvassed for the Foxite Whigs in the Westminster election of 1784. However, there were powerful women at the local and regional levels as well. These women, who held property and votes, or controlled patronage appointments, could be important political figures in the localities, and were recognized as such. Jane Austen's fictional Lady Catherine de Bourgh is just such a figure.
Hi there, can you tell us about some of the women who held power in one form or another during this time?
Thank you for doing this AMA and welcome!
I was going to ask some kind of not-especially-historical question about Tom Jones, but since you mention you've done consulting work for Time Team -- how much pressure is on you, exactly, in that situation? Do they expect you to know absolutely everything under the sun off the top of your head at a second's notice, or did you have time to get access to books and other research resources?
(PS. To reply to someone's question, it's best to click the "reply" link underneath their post. This keeps the question and answer together in a single thread.)
Hi, thanks for the AMA. I'm in the interested in early 18th century music scene, and in many places throughout history women, while largely not being the creators of the music, were responsible for its commission, performance, promotion etc.
My question is did 18C English women have a large hand in the fostering of culture in the courts? The politics of music in Italy and France, specifically opera, in the 18c had a large effect on the culture of the courts and also the history of music. 18c British music is largely left out of the cannon, but I would be interested to know about any of the internal cultural politics of this time.
Were there individuals or groups who attempted to transgress the gender roles of the time? If so, how were they perceived?
I have a second question about your work, but if this is not appropriate I understand.
Have you experience resistance from other historians surrounding your work? I am excited to see a seemingly natural combination of cultural and political history. Yet there seem to be a strong sense that cultural history 'must' reject political history while political history often ignores some of the basic categories of analysis in cultural history.
Hello! Thank-you for doing this AMA.
How were the Blue Stockings perceived in the Long Eighteenth Century? Although political discussions were not allowed, I have wondered if other women or men perceived the group as a female political arena because high politics was a man's arena.
Could you elaborate a little on the idea of political clothing and accessories? I'm familiar with some of the Jacobite examples of this (tartan trews and the white cockade). Would people face repercussions of these clothing choices when they were on the "losing" side, so to speak? Also, could you recommend some reading material on this subject?
Thank you.
Hello, and thank you for doing this AMA! In 18th century England, what sorts of adversity did women find in pursuing careers in general, and in politics? Did many try to have jobs or were they largely restricted to helping at home, on the farm, or in the shop? Were there many influential women at the time who pioneered certain crafts or lifestyles?
Thank you for giving us your time on this topic!
I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind; the role of women in polite society's something of an interest.
Firstly, how far do you feel that women of the lower or middling sort (to take a stereotype, the wife of an artisan) were tolerated in polite society - and, moreover, how able were they to integrate in such gatherings?
Second, I'd ask how far you see the growth of patriotism in England and the growth of widespread "luxuries" (conversation pieces, teasets, textiles, and so on) as being connected?
And finally, I'd be interested to know how far (and in what ways) you feel elite women could participate in politics given the example of Georgiana Cavendish - was the vitriol directed at her typical of attitudes towards women in politics, or were there ways which women could exercise power and express political opinions without such ridicule?
Thanks very much!
Hi Dr Chalus.
What one myth would you like to dispel about the popular perception of gender roles in the 18th Century?
I've happened to read a few things about women and fending recently. A friend on mine has turned me onto old cool fencing treatises that talked about the role of women and, well, you know how it goes. I'm seeing cool women fencing stuff everywhere I look. Anything cool like that come out of 18th century England?
Did the French Revolution have an impact upon gender roles for men and women in Britain? If so, how did it have an impact? Also within British school curriculum gender studies is limited just to the emancipation of women from roughly 1850 onwards (at least in my experience). Do you think there should be a broader approach to gender studies in general within History teaching that could potentially give prospective students a wider appreciation of gender studies and a better appreciation of research into this field?
Hello Prof. Chalus,
What can you tell me about female opinions, roles, and actions regarding the building of the British Empire (I am particularly interested in any anti-colonial thoughts/protests)? Come the 19th C, empire would be viewed under the guise of paternalism, that Britain needed to be a good "father" to its colonial "children." Any origins of this gendered notion in your time period?
TL;DR What were women's views and roles of Empire after the conclusion of the Seven-Years War/French Indian War and the beginnings of subjection in India?
Hi professor Chalus,
I'm a PhD student at the University of Manchester with a dissertation focusing on Libertinism, really delighted to have you here! Admittedly I'm focusing on literature, as my degree is in English, but my approach will be heavy on historical context, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything relating to libertine ideology or texts. More specifically:
While pornographic writing that explicitly endorse libertinism (Fanny Hill for example) are obviously part of an (almost) exclusively male discourse, being written primarily by-and-for men. Yet in broader English culture there is a huge fascination/paranoia concerning the figure of the libertine which works its way into the popular consciousness. From theatre, to the works of Richardson, to issues surrounding the cultural consequences of the Grand Tour, it seems like there was a fear of, and fascination with, libertine behavior. (I'd point to Erin Mackie's "Rake's, Highwaymen, and Pirates", which demonstrates the role of criminality in forging the 18th century construction of the gentlemen) I'm wondering what records there may be of women's response to popular conceptions of libertinism?
Are there any instances of women adopting or satirizing male behavior in a way that may (earnestly or ironically) pull from popular concepts of libertine behavior?
I love your focus on how social behaviors impact political ones, and i'd be very interested in hearing how much impact libertine behavior or ideology (such as the tendency towards elitism, atheism, etc.) might have had on political happenings. Obviously libertinism had an extremely direct connection to politics during the Restoration under Charles II, and you could argue that a similarly strong connection exists within the ancien regime of 18th century France, but what was its influence (if any) within eighteenth century English politics?
More generally, if you have ANY books you'd care to recommend me (including your own!) feel free to do so and i'll put them on my reading list. I hope we can meet at a conference or somesuch in the future!
In doing some research in 18th century (American) newspapers recently on the topic of shoes, I found a number of articles aimed one way or the other on where to buy products from. Particularly, arguments as to why Lynn made shoes (Massachusetts) were preferable over Hose's (English). Most of these coming at the beginning of the Revolution and clearly containing a political slant of "buy local". They reminded me of the advertisements aimed at women during the two World Wars about buying goods from certain countries as a way of being politically active in an acceptable manner. Was there ever a way in the 18th century where women were encouraged to be politically "active" through traditional means like purchasing goods for the home?