Wendy Gamber Livres

Hemmed in by "women's work" much less than has been thought, women in the late 1800s and early 1900s were the primary entrepreneurs in the millinery and dressmaking trades. The Female Economy explores that lost world of women's dominance, showing how independent, often ambitious businesswomen and the sometimes imperious consumers they served gradually vanished from the scene as custom production gave way to a largely unskilled modern garment industry controlled by men. Wendy Gamber helps overturn the portrait of wage-earning women as docile souls who would find fulfillment only in marriage and motherhood. She combines labor history, women's history, business history, and the history of technology while exploring topics as wide-ranging as the history of pattern-making and the relationship between entrepreneurship and marriage. A volume in the series The Working Class in American History, edited by David Brody, Alice Kessler-Harris, David Montgomery, and Sean Wilentz, and in the series Women in American History, edited by Anne Firor Scott, Nancy A. Hewitt, and Stephanie Shaw

The study delves into the contrasting experiences of individuals residing in urban boardinghouses during nineteenth-century America, a time marked by significant urban growth and evolving economic models. It highlights how these spaces served as homes for a diverse range of people, including the old, young, married, single, rich, and poor, challenging the era's ideals of family and virtue associated with bourgeois homes. Wendy Gamber examines the social dynamics and personal stories within these communal living environments, shedding light on a pivotal aspect of urban life.

Set against the backdrop of a chilling crime scene in September 1868, the narrative unfolds around the brutal discovery of Jacob and Nancy Jane Young's remains near Indiana's White River. The shocking details of their deaths, including Jacob's disfigured face and Nancy's charred body, paint a harrowing picture of violence and tragedy. The presence of insects and the remnants of the couple's violent end evoke a sense of horror and mystery, inviting readers to delve into the circumstances surrounding this gruesome event.

Based on extensive sources, including newspapers, trial documents, and local histories, this gripping account of a seemingly typical woman who achieved extraordinary notoriety will appeal to true crime lovers and historians alike.