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The Illustrated History of the Housewife, 1650-1950
UNA A. ROBERTSON, 1999
New York: St. Martin's Press
pp. xv + 224, $14.95 (paper)
Who could rank as the most invisible figure in written history if not the housewife? The contempt of the culture for housewives and housework is often remarked upon, and usually, although not entirely fairly, blamed on the women's movement. Mrs. Conehead wearing her "I hate housework" apron in Saturday Night Live skits is some sort of statement of modem attitudes. Una A. Robertson intends to counter the attitude of "only a housewife" in her Illustrated History of the Housewife.
This work is intended for a general audience, and its merits and limitations must be considered in that light. It is a well-researched, detailed, congenially written overview of the conditions and work of housewives in the British Isles from the early modern period to the 20th century. This history is well grounded in contemporary sources ranging from the observations of travelers such as Celia Fiennes, whose Through England on Sidesaddle is quoted extensively, to manuals such as Gervase Markham's The English House-wife which ran to many editions throughout the 17th century. The book is organized in chapters according to household tasks ("Fuels and Fireplaces", "Lighting the Home," "Laundrywork," etc). There are 75 black and...