Isabel de Giberne Sieveking (1857-1936) was a British writer and women's suffrage activist. She lived a life that challenged many contemporary conceptions about gender roles and sexuality during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century. University of Indiana Ph.D. candidate Miranda Wojciechowski has created this fascinating online exhibit dedicated to Sieveking's life and work. Drawing on the archival material held at the University of Indiana's Lilly Library, Wojciechowski offers a glimpse into the life and perspectives of Sieveking. As these archives reveal, Sieveking was raised with both Catholic and feminist ideals, both of which and she continued to value into her adult life. In particular, her views on marriage challenged common views on the topic in Edwardian Britain. Sieveking argued that women should be careful not to idealize marriage and, in her 1913 essay, "The Celibate Englishwoman," warned that marriage to the wrong individual could "only hinder women's individual development, and stunt her faculties." In addition, Sieveking, a mother herself, deeply valued motherhood and championed education for women so that they would have the skills to raise children. To learn more about Sieveking, check out the full exhibit.
Comments