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American Women: Resources from the General Collections

Women's Writings

Stephens, Alice Barber, 1858-1932, artist.[Please wait a moment, said Miss Willmer hastily, making notes in a small book]. 1906. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

The words of women can be found in every reading room in the Library. Through their writings women tell how they felt as children, where they worked, whom they cared for, how they loved, what they served for breakfast—of birth, death, and everything in between. They talk about war, economics, science, and religion.

Researchers in Women's and Gender Studies must necessarily consult a variety of sources including "non-traditional" formats for information. For example:

  • Published/Unpublished diaries and journals
  • Travel accounts
  • Autobiographies
  • Collections of letters
  • Quilts and textiles
  • Testimony before Congress
  • Legal depositions
  • Manuscript collections
  • Letters to editors
  • Audio and visual materials
  • Sheet music