The Whole Duty of Woman: comprised of the following sections..../ by a Lady {William Kendrick}, 1821
date: label: date made
content: 1821
notes: label: Description
content: This 1821 edition of an 1751 book gives instruction in the desired comportment and behavior of a young lady. This version is 75 pages and divided into 24 sections, including an Introduction. It was published by William Borradile of New York. Hoyt & Bolmore were the printers.
label: Description
content: The green cover features a tan rectangle with the title of the book. The topics covered include personality traits such as curiosity, vanity and modesty. Guidance is also provided as to how to conduct oneself with regards to marriage and widowhood, topics that were left out of the original edition of this book but included in supplemental books. The narrator's voice often adopts a poetic, blank verse form.
label: Description
content: The introduction contains an appeal to "daughters of Britain" to heed the advice of its author or risk a life of scorn and misery. The premise that a reformed woman is writing the book to persuade other women to be virtuous is ironic since the original author was not the anonymous "a Lady" but actually William Kenrick (c 1725-1779), a man of dubious character who was a novelist and playwright. The original 1753 version was published by Robert Dodsley of London and the title was taken from a 1695 volume by Lady Mary Cressy. Earlier American editions were printed in Boston in 1793 by Samuel Hall and 1798 in Philadelphia by J Ormrod but due to its popularity over 20 editions were published.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Education
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Rosetta Marantz Cohen
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2018.0189.01
label: accession number
content: 2018.0189
label: catalog number
content: 2018.0189.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: book
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 4 in x 1/4 in; 15.24 cm x 10.16 cm x .635 cm