Symbols of Accomplishment

The lives of women in the English colonies were hampered by legal and social customs that governed appropriate work and behavior. Women were considered subordinate to men in all aspects of life and were expected to prioritize caring for their homes and families. Preparing and cooking food, spinning, weaving, sewing, housekeeping, gardening, and childcare were all the responsibility of women. In the Colonial Era, this work was difficult, draining, and never-ending. Even the colonies’ wealthiest women were not exempt from these expectations. But they could rely on hired or enslaved women to assist them in their tasks. Any woman who had to work outside the home to support her family was expected to do that work in addition to her household responsibilities.

Training for the life of a wealthy housewife started in early childhood. Young girls were taught to read, keep household accounts, and sew. They made samplers that demonstrated their superior needlework skills. These works of art could be shown to friends, family, and potential husbands as examples of the young woman’s accomplishments and evidence of her domestic capabilities.

Samplers also showcased the character of the girls who made them. For example, this sampler was made by eleven-year-old Sarah Ann Janeway. It includes religious scenes like Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge, Jacob’s Ladder, and Saint John receiving the Book of Revelations. It also has everyday objects like flower-filled urns, a peacock, a small family with a dog, and a single building that represents a house or school. Together, these images indicate that Sarah Ann was both spiritual and feminine. These were considered desirable traits in a colonial wife.

Once women married, they took on the responsibility of running their households. Many wealthy married women owned or wore chatelaines, like the one pictured here, as symbols of their role and social status. Chatelaines are clips with hooks or chains to attach keys and other small household items. They were originally used to carry the keys to all the important storage spaces in a home, such as the pantry, linen closet, and tea chest. During the early 1700s elite women often secured small household implements, such as sewing scissors, thimbles, notebooks, and watches to their chatelaines. Chatelaines were attached to a belt at the waist so the items they carried were always at hand. This chatelaine was given to Cornelia Dickenson Remsen by her husband Henry Remsen as a wedding gift in 1761.

Together, these items illustrate the ideal path for a young, wealthy colonial girl: from a well-bred and well-trained daughter to the mistress of her own home and family.

• Adam and Eve: The first man and woman in Judeo-Christian teachings.
• Book of Revelations: The final book of the Christian Bible, which describes what will happen at the end of the world.
• chatelaine: A clip worn at the belt from which keys and small household items could be hung.
• Jacob’s Ladder: A story from Judeo-Christian faith.
• sampler: A work of art made from thread and fabric. Samplers were made to showcase a girl’s or woman’s needlework skills.

• Pair this resource with The Rapalje Children and Professional Portraitist to illustrate what upper-class English colonial girls and women looked like.
• Pair this resource The Last Will and Testament of Joseph Grover and Coverture to explore the legal and social limitations on women in the English colonies.
• For a deeper discussion of the expectations put on colonial women, pair this resource with Ornaments of the Daughters of Zion and Eighteenth Century Education.

DOMESTICITY AND FAMILY

• For more resources relating to childhood in the English colonies, see New World—New Netherland—New York.