Proper Recreation, Beautiful Environments, and Ethical Dress

Proper Recreation, Beautiful Environments, and Ethical Dress

Just as clubwomen believed in the importance of a productive occupation for young women, they were similarly concerned that young people engage in respectable entertainment. They were particularly concerned with the leisure activities of working girls. They advocated that young women participate in club work like their own rather than engage with the immoral and disorderly influences of the city. They also advocated for women to dress in specific ways in order to represent “proper” femininity. Finally, clubwomen believed in the power of clean and beautiful city streets to “civilize” urban residents.

Literary Program: Annual Announcements of the Chicago Woman’s Club, 1876-1920. Loyola University Chicago. Women & Leadership Archives. Chicago Woman’s Club. Boxes 1-5.

Newspaper: Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922).

Minutes: Chicago Woman’s Club Records, Chicago History Museum.