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In "Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure," Nan Enstad reveals how working women—the shop girls who caused CWC members great concern—created a distinct culture expressed through fashion and consumption of popular amusements. This working class…

Historian Maureen Flanagan argues in "Seeing with Their Hearts" that women reformers in Chicago shared a united vision of a better Chicago. They believed in a city of safe homes, clean streets, and social justice. The 1912 President’s Report…

In the late nineteenth century, middle class women were responsible for maintaining safe homes and protecting children and husbands from immorality. As wives and mothers, women reformers also made it their duty to also make Chicago a safe and…

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…

At the dawn of the Progressive Era, clubwomen increasingly studied the causes and solutions to delinquency. In particular, the CWC sought to understand the downfall of young women in the city. Clubwomen frequently emphasized the necessity of…

When clubwomen encountered children in poorhouses and jails, they saw future paupers and criminals. The 1891 children’s illustration below depicts the doomed trajectory of troublesome children. The CWC tried to intervene in the process and place…

As the first act of “practical work” initiated by the CWC, clubwomen lobbied for day matrons to be placed in police stations for the protection and care of incarcerated women. Clubwomen continued to advocate for night matrons to be stationed in jails…

Despite attempts to appear unified, the Chicago Woman’s Club was occasionally wracked by controversy. During the 1901-1902 year, an anonymous letter arrived at the CWC accusing officers of fraud. After consulting with handwriting specialists, the…