Photo by Brandon Johnson, Princeton University Library
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library is presenting "Fashion, Feminism, and Fear: Clothing and Power in the 19th Century." Curated by April C. Armstrong *15 and Emma Paradies, Library Collections Specialists in Special Collections at Mudd Library, the exhibition features late 19th and early 20th century cartoons satirizing women's fashion at a time when the "New Woman" began to wear pants, tailored jackets, and sportswear and enter traditionally masculine spheres.
The majority of the cartoons showcased in this exhibit are from 1895-1896 and by William H. Walker (1871-1938). Walker contributed frequently to formative American magazines like Life from 1894 to 1922, quickly becoming its leading editorial cartoonist. His fashion-focused political cartoons for Life captured the deep-seated anxieties of the era, implying that women were unfit for the new freedoms they sought. Walker created dozens of illustrations commenting on the “women in pants” phenomenon. These unflattering depictions obscured the perspectives of women’s rights activists by divorcing what they wore from its political context, suggesting they warranted only mockery.
The exhibition’s themes are still relevant today as society continues to tackle the significance of gender and pressures to conform to externally defined expectations for one’s appearance, which are highlighted in the exhibition with examples of modern-day advertising.
“The American Family,” William H. Walker, December 1895
A public opening with the curators is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 2025 from noon to 2:00pm. While the objects in the main exhibition are in traditional cases, the opening event will also feature items that guests can touch and get a closer look at.
The exhibition is open until April 2026. Mudd Manuscript Library is located at 65 Olden Street in Princeton, New Jersey. The exhibition is open to the public during Mudd’s regular opening hours. Please check the website for current hours, as these change during the year.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the public is invited to join them for an interdisciplinary symposium focused on related themes on October 17, 2025 There will not be a fee to attend, but registration is required. The symposium is open to all.
When the “New Woman” of the 1890s donned pants, and other feminist clothing trends emerged, such as tailored jackets and sportswear, women’s fashions symbolized changes taking place in society. Women entered traditionally masculine spheres like higher education and the workplace, with hopes to make further progress. But just as there were those who welcomed the change, others, like Walker’s cartoons illustrated, felt profound anxieties. As in our own time, there were those in the 1890s and 1900s who saw grave dangers to society itself in atypical gender presentations. As the New Woman undermined the gender binary with her clothing choices, she threatened to overthrow the social order. Indeed, gender confusion is a major theme of the cartoons Walker drew. Feminism, fashion, and fear came together to shape public perceptions and policy. Mockery neutralized the threat.
“Where Duty Called,” William H. Walker, March 1897
This gathering will provide space for interdisciplinary scholarly conversation about the ways this past has ongoing significance. With escalating discussions of the significance of gender, pressures for conformity within externally-defined expectations for one’s appearance, and debates over whether individual decisions endanger society as a whole, this material is deeply relevant for the 2020s.
