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Sallie Ward, a Southern belle "Southern belle" (from French belle 'beautiful') is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman.
Jul 29, 2015 · How did young women in the South cope with the social and personal challenges of the war? This article explores the ideal and the reality of the Southern belle, and how the war disrupted their expectations and identities.
Learn what makes a southern belle a southern belle, from her speech, appearance, social habits and demeanor. Find out the rules and traditions of being a true belle, such as no white after Labor Day and using terms of endearment.
Learn about the historical and cultural context of southern belles in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire. Explore the themes, characters, quotes and scenes related to this topic.
- Antebellum Women
- Breaking The Stereotype
- Interactions with The Wounded
- Yankee Nurses
- Conclusion
The life of a plantation mistress was constructed to be one of leisure. Unlike their counterparts in the North, young ladies in the South had no opportunities to earn wages on their own, thus the only means by which to leave the family home was through marriage. Young women in the northern states; however, were entering the work force in factories ...
Many belles responded to the call with a sense of duty and pride, while an even greater number deemed this type of work to be unfit for a lady. Kate Kumming, a dedicated Confederate nurse, recalled being told that the hospitals were no places for women and that was not considered “respectable to go into one.” In April 1862, Kumming arrived in Corin...
After being wounded in battle, Alexander Hunter was treated at a Petersburg hospital. He briefly described rows of “extended wasted figures burning with fever and raving from the agony of splintered bones,” and the “sickening odor of medicine, the nephritic air shut in by the closed windows.”Confederate nurses dealt with these sights, sounds, and s...
When first offered the job of superintendent at Chimborazo, Pember thought it was a “startling proposition to a woman used to all the comforts of luxurious life.”Pember and many other women of this ilk soon uncovered the strength which they were endowed. Women of the North had grown more confident by exerting their strength and as a result had beco...
While Dix and Livermore were actively pursuing social reform and education during the 1840’s, Mrs. Virginia Clay of Tuscaloosa, Alabama was attending balls. She described scenes of “belles of the town” looking “resplendent in fresh and fashionable toilettes.” Twenty years hence, Phoebe Yates Pember, who was of the same social standing as Mrs. Clay,...
Explore the history of the southern belle, a mythical figure of the 19th century South, from her education, role, and image to her present-day challenges and changes. Learn about the influences, sources, and controversies of this ideal perfection and myth.
How did the southern belle, the ideal of femininity and gentility, change in the 19th century? This paper explores the social, religious, and educational factors that shaped the identity and role of women in the South, from the Great Awakening to the Civil War.
