Women's History Consortium Podcast
Presentation by Dr. Karen Blair on
the History of Women's Clubs
Dr. Karen Blair, noted authority on Women's
Clubs nationally and in the Northwest gives a one hour presentation on the history
of the development of women's clubs arising out the aftermath of the Civil War as
women stepped out of their domestic spheres towards self improvement. She details
the evolution of the club movement towards civic change and municipal housekeeping
in the late 19th and early 20th century. She talks about the variety of clubs, the
contrast between men's and women's clubs and finally about the causes for their
decline in the 1920s. Dr. Blair enlivens her presentation with stories about Washington
state clubs and the views of contemporary observers as well as novelists towards
the movement. Dr. Blair concludes the presentation by answering audience questions.
Dr. Blair's presentation has been divided into four segments. Each segment is outlined
below.
Woman's Club of Olympia Clubhouse, pictured here. The Club formed in 1883 and is
arguably the oldest Woman's Club in the West. Jeffers Studio photo from the Washington
State Capital Museum, Washington State Historical Society.
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Dr. Blair talks about her own research into women's clubs and the variety of records
available about the clubs. Although women had met in church groups for many years,
she details the rise of the secular clubs after the Civil War in the 1860s when
women's role outside the home had become acceptable because of their war work. She
discusses the seriousness of the clubs which were aimed at self improvement and
study. Dr. Blair gives sometimes humorous view of the contemporary press towards
this change in women's roles—expressing alarm that women would chose to leave their
homes for even brief periods. She also discusses the courage of the women who, handicapped
by formal education, nevertheless chose this route of self-improvement and discussion.
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Dr. Blair discusses the spread of women's clubs throughout the county and the middle-class
nature of the club membership. She describes the change in focus from self-improvement
to civic housekeeping after the turn of the 20th century. Dr. Blair cites several
literary references to the clubs. She details how club activism, even before women
achieved the right to vote, influenced civic improvements, pure food laws, and the
provision of social services. This was in some ways a reversion back from women's
self-improvement goals to their more traditional roles as home and family guardians.
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In this segment, Dr. Blair discusses the change in clubs toward more diversity from
the original Anglo-Protestant, middle-class exclusivity of the clubs. Those who
had been excluded from the original movement formed their own clubs—Black, Catholic
and Jewish women. She discusses the Seattle Ladies Musical Club and its role in
bringing entertainment to the Northwest. She details the numbers of special interest
clubs that developed during the heyday of the club movement from the 1880s to the
early 1920s such as the American Association of University Women, Parent-Teacher
Organizations, Soroptomists and others. Dr. Blair then discusses the decline of
the club movement around 1925 as women found other options for expression in careers
and society. She compares the differences in men’s and women’s clubs and concludes
with a statement about contemporary clubs and their continued role for women’s interests
and activism.
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The last segment contains Dr. Blair's answers to questions posed by the audience.
(Be sure to bump up the volume to better audibilize the questions from the Dr. Blair's
audience.) Audience questioning broached these topics:
- Post World War II influences on women.
- Chautauqua meetings and their influences on women's clubs.
- Differences between urban and rural women's clubs.
- Role of women's clubs in developing Carnegie Libraries.
- The Women's Book Club of Everett.
- Suffrage and Abolition Clubs.
- Women running for President.
- Importance of preserving club records.
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Watch for these upcoming additions to the WHC:
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