PODCAST
ELIZA SOUTHGATE BOWNE: IN HER OWN WORDS
Bowne House presents a new video series on the letters of Eliza Southgate Bowne, revealing the interests and experiences of a young woman living during the turn of the nineteenth century.
Eliza Southgate Bowne. From A girl's life eighty years ago; selections from the letters of Eliza Southgate Bowne (1887). Based on a miniature by Edward Greene Malbone. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Source: University of California Libraries via The Internet Archive.
Eliza Southgate Bowne married Walter Bowne (who later became Mayor of New York City) in 1803. Eliza was from Maine, was well educated, and met Walter at Saratoga Springs. Although she never lived in the house and passed away at an early age from consumption, she is notable for her letters, which were published in a volume entitled “Letters of Eliza Southgate Bowne, Mrs. Walter Bowne.”
These were reprinted as “A Girl’s Life 80 Years Ago: Selections from the Letters of Eliza Bowne” in 1887. Written in a lively, accessible style, this book is still read today. Her portrait was painted in 1803 by Edward Greene Malbone, the most celebrated miniaturist of his generation.
Decades after her death, her daughter-in-law, Eliza Rapelye Bowne, resided at the Bowne House for several years. A suite of the Mayor’s furniture was subsequently donated by a descendant and is on display in the parlor.
EPISODE 1: Eliza Southgate Bowne’s Notes on an Epidemic
EPISODE 2: Eliza Southgate Bowne’s Notes on Marriage
EPISODE 3: Eliza Southgate Bowne’s Notes on Feminism
EPISODE 4: Eliza Southgate Bowne’s Notes on Fashion
Text & Video Credits:
Website Text by Charlotte Jackson, Archivist & Ellen M. Spindler, Collection Volunteer
Audio and Transcripts by David Silvernail & Emily Vieyra-Haley, Bowne House Educators
Videos by Kieran Gannon, Bowne House Educator & Elise Helmers, Executive Director
Additional Reading:
Eliza Southgate Bowne (1783-1809). A girl's life eighty years ago; selections from the letters of Eliza Southgate Bowne (1887). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Source: University of California Libraries via The Internet Archive.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797). A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (1796). United Kingdom: J. Johnson. Source: Oxford University via Google Books.