COVE

 Phyllis’ Commentary:

This time of year tends to make my sister’s and I stay indoors. It is a bittersweet time as I watch the snow cover the streets, with little foot traffic as everyone attempts to evade the cold weather. The shop provides such a nice street-view, everyday I bear witness to so many lives that I would never know the full stories of. It is easy to get lost in thought as I gaze out. Today I decided to browse a catalogue to bide some time, the shop was not very busy and this illustration caught my attention. It reminds me of my sister’s and I, the women in the image are working diligently to make Christmas presents, the familiarity of the scene felt so warm. At the end of the day we rest in sittings like this. Gertrude is such a busy body I can imagine her sitting Fanny and Lucy down, excitedly explaining that we could thank customers with hand made gifts to boost our local reputation. Personally I prefer observing them more than participating, however the familiar scene this image provides is refreshing. It's nice to think there are other women like my sister’s and I exist. The unconventionality of our little shop is certain, however I never believed we could possibly be the only ones to pursue a business. My sisters really allow me to understand the capability of women, coupled with their tender passion and strong will, we can achieve anything as long as we set our minds to it. At least that is what they preach to me, however it is not too ridiculous to think especially considering how far we have made it.

Editorial Commentary:

The traditional domestic roles of women were still prevalent in the Victorian Era however the new woman movement, this created an atmosphere of independent women, both tending to domestic chores alongside pursuing personal endeavors. While domestic activities were a primary role of women during the Victorian Era, the new woman encompasses femininity but also independence in which the Lormier sister’s demonstrate that they juggle managing a business. Since all of the sisters began as single young women, their circumstances deviated from the typical societal role of women of their era. However it is seen that they do not reject or cast aside feminine tasks but instead incorporate it into a life of work and leisure highlighting that their femininity can stand independant from their place and role in society. With the emergence of the middle class and new woman movement, more and more women like the Lormier sister’s found themselves in similar positions, making this lifestyle become more common and accepted into society. Phyllis as the youngest sister is able to look up to her older sisters as role models. This phenomenon was not exclusive to Phyllis, as more women saw the change, they adapted to the new ideals which in time created a societal ideology shift. Representation of the working/independent woman was a powerful source. I would imagine that many young girls like Phyllis could have related the image to strong female figures in their life, and see images like these as inspiration.

Citations:

Making Christmas Gifts, 8 Feb 1888 - 1892, © Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

McGuirk, Hayley. “The Rebel: A Visual Representation of First-Wave Feminism in the Work of Frances Benjamin Johnston.” Women's Studies, vol. 48, no. 5, 2019, pp. 475–497., doi:10.1080/00497878.2019.1628760.

          Saeed, Nadia, et al. “Thomas Hardy: A Torchbearer of Feminism Representing Sufferings of Victorian Era Women.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, vol. 9, no. 3, 2020, p. 55., doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.3p.55.