Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Frontier Women and Their Art: A Chronological Encyclopedia

While often less celebrated than their male counterparts, women have been vital contributors to the arts for centuries. Works by women of the frontier represent treasured accomplishments of American culture and still impress us today, centuries after their creation. The breadth of creative expression by women of this time period is as remarkable as the women themselves. In Frontier Women and Their Art: A Chronological Encyclopedia, Mary Ellen Snodgrass explores the rich history of women's creative expression from the beginning of the Federalist era to the end of the nineteenth century. Focusing particularly on Western artistic style, the importance of cultural exchange, and the preservation of history, this book captures a wide variety of artistic accomplishment, including ·Folk music, frontier theatrics, and dancing ·Quilting, stitchery, and beadwork ·Sculpture and adobe construction ·Writing, translations, and storytelling Individual talents highlighted in this volume include basketry by Nellie Charlie, acting by Blanche Bates, costuming by Annie Oakley, diary entries by Emily French, translations by Sacajawea, flag designs by Nancy Kelsey, photography by Jennie Ross Cobb, and singing by Lotta Crabtree. Each entry includes a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources, as well as further readings on the female artists and their respective crafts. This text also defines and provides examples of technical terms such as appliqué, libretto, grapevine, farce, coil pots, and quilling. With its informative entries and extensive examinations of artistic talent, Frontier Women and Their Art is a valuable resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in learning about some of the most influential and talented women in the arts. Review A companion volume to the author's American Colonial Women and Their Art (also 2018) (see ARBA 2018, entry 519), this book covers the period from 1765 to 1899. The range of arts, presenting the "quest for self-expression" of these women, is quite wide, as there are gymnasts, gamblers, historians, prophets, and botanists included. . . The women and their backgrounds are also quite diverse: a Siberian seamstress who became a "multinational business mogul" in Alaska, the 42nd wife of Brigham Young, and Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last monarch. . . . Four appendixes cover arts, states, ethnology and present a chronology of major moments between 1610 and 1912. A glossary and an 11-page bibliography of primary and secondary resources are also included. This book should spark interest in American women whose lives are little known. Scholars and students in women's and gender studies programs, or in history departments, may well find new areas to explore after reading this volume. Academic libraries will be most interested in the content here, but other libraries might consider it.--Mark Schumacher--American Reference Books Annual Snodgrass here "surveys the crafts and talents of a variety of creators and originators occupying the American wilderness." These women, whose courage, fortitude, and ingenuity comprise the stuff of legends, were also accomplished practitioners in a number of creative pursuits. They were basket makers, potters, and quilters but also equestrians, sharpshooters, and taxidermists, not to mention botanists, banjoists, and herbalists. Snodgrass also identifies biographers, journal keepers, letter writers, memoirists, poets, and pamphleteers as well as actors, circus performers, dancers, guitarists, magicians, and mimes. A series of appendixes facilitates access to accounts of individual women, whose names are listed by art, state, and ethnicity. Here, too, are a chronology of key events in American history and a glossary of terms. The bibliography is extensive and features primary as well as secondary sources. Period illustrations and contemporary photographs punctuate the text of a fascinating work that helps fill the gaps th