Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 19-26, 1999

Volume 27, Number 29

New Beinecke archive reveals changing
role of women in the 1500s

Witchcraft, misogyny, love, marriage, adultery and education -- these are just a few of the topics that men and women mulled over some four centuries ago.

Sixteenth-century perspectives on those subjects and others can be found in a new collection of books that has recently been acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. All of the books reflect the status and role of women in European society.

The collection of 138 books was formed by Axel Erdmann, director of the antiquarian book firm Gilhofer & Ranschburg in Luzern, Switzerland. The books were about to be offered for sale individually when the Beinecke purchased them in their entirety. The library will display selected books from the new collection from Thursday, April 22, through June.

"The 16th century was an era of incipient change in the status of women, as writers began to challenge the Christian and Aristotelian views, which identified women with sin and imperfection," says Robert Babcock, the Edwin J. Beinecke Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts at the Beinecke Library. "These debates and their results were reflected in the contemporary printed record. While women in general were still relegated to silence and subservience, a few books by women were published. Many more books were written by men for and about women."

The writings of more than 40 16th-century women are represented in the collection. Most of the books by women published between 1500 and 1600 are devotional works, such as prayers and meditations. Women also often wrote poetry to express their feelings and opinions, according to Babcock. Among the women whose works are represented are Vittoria Colonna (1492-1547), who chose the Petrarchan sonnet to mourn her husband, who died in battle in 1525; and Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549), who wrote stories advocating better education for women. Her "L'Heptameron des nouvelles" is one of the first books to treat the social realities of the 16th century as they impinged on the lives of women.

The Erdmann collection also includes one book illustrated by a woman, a 1592 commentary on coins by Antonio Agustín titled "Dialoghi alle medaglie inscrittioni," which contains woodcuts attributed to Geronima Parasole.

In addition, the collection features several biographical dictionaries of notable women and a book depicting the costumes for over 100 women of various social ranks, from empress to servant. Published in Frankfurt in 1586, this is the first printed book devoted entirely to women's dress. It contains verses by Konrad Lautenbach, which are accompanied by woodcuts by the Swiss-German artist Jost Amman.

Other books in the collection were written by men, for or about women. Covering such topics as medicine, marriage, prostitution, adultery and etiquette, these include a book by French doctor François Rousset on Cesarean section; Italian doctor Giovanni Marinello's recipes for cosmetics and weight-loss plans; Erasmus' views on women's education; Torquato Tasso's volume advocating marriage; and Pope Pius V's decree that all religious women should be cloistered. In a work published in 1523, Martin Luther justifies having arranged the escape of nine nuns (among them his future wife) from the convent of Nimbschen in Saxony.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Beinecke Library will host a talk on Thursday, April 22, by Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Her talk, titled "My Gracious Silence: Women in the Mirror of 16th-Century Printing in Western Europe," will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the library, which is located at 121 Wall St. A reception will follow the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

Wiesner-Hanks is the author of "Women in the Sixteenth Century: A Bibliography," "Working Women in Renaissance Germany," "Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe," and "Gender, Church, and State in Early Modern Germany." She is the editor of the collection "Convents Confront the Reformation."

Wiesner-Hanks also wrote the introduction to an illustrated catalog by Axel Erdmann. In addition to detailed information about the 138 books in the collection, the catalog contains exhaustive bibliographies that cover the field of 16th-century books for, by, and about women. The catalog will be on sale at the library.

The Beinecke Library exhibition area is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For further information, call 432-2977 or visit the library's website at www.library.yale.edu/beinecke/.

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