As I write this, my head is spinning with so much information on the woman, the myth, the legend, Mary Noyes Colvin, and yet also, so many questions left frustratingly unanswered. Let’s start from what I consider the beginning. I only found two published works by Colvin: one, an edited translation of “The Siege and Conqueste of Jerusalem”, by William of Tyre from way back in 1130-approximately 1190, complete with an extraordinarily detailed introduction and notes, index, and vocabulary by Colvin. The other, her dissertation for her PhD… in German. Think she’s cool yet? Yeah, it gets better.

After studying at Mount Holyoke College and teaching thereafter for a few years, Colvin enrolled in the University of Zurich. There, in 1888, she became the first woman in the university’s history to be awarded a PhD. I found this information from an article about her being appointed professor of romance languages at the Western Reserve University in Ohio in 1893. Interestingly enough, I came across more or less the same blurb in countless newspapers from the time in January 1893: The Indianapolis Journal in Indiana, Galena Weekly Republican in Kansas, the Lafayette Gazette in Louisiana, Buffalo Evening News in New York, the list goes on. Mary Noyes Colvin was appointed a professor at a college in Ohio, and cities around the country told her story. She was, it seems, kind of a big deal.

That particular article goes on to tell that since 1889 Colvin was secretary of the Bryn Mawr Preparatory School, a Baltimore girls school that still exists today. That’s where Baltimore comes in, and with it, our WLCB. According to our membership list, Colvin was only a member of WLCB in its first season, 1890-91, but I think she must’ve been a member from 91-92 as well, as her and the Club in 1892 played a big role in fighting to improve Baltimore schools, specifically girls schools. In an article sub headlined “Many of the Defects Pointed Out by the Committee of the Woman’s Literary Club Have Been Remedied Since the Committee Made Its Investigation”, Mary Noyes Colvin is credited as having reported on the areas in which Baltimore schools were failing. Professor Wise, the Superintendent, supposedly takes Colvin’s advice, and it is announced that the several changes to schools have been made, including “raising the curriculum of the female grammar schools to an equality with male grammar schools”. You go, Mary.

And yet, while I can find information like all of this, I can’t find Mary Noyes Colvin’s birthday. She might’ve grown up in New York, as the earliest information I can find about her is from 1882 in an article announcing her previous work experience as a teacher in Dansville, New York, and appointment of another position at Genesco State Normal School. The same article credits her as being the daughter of Judge Noyes and “possessing rare accomplishments”… lol. Maybe if I had Judge Noyes’s full name I could find him, and in turn, find Mary Noyes’s date of birth and death, but alas, for once, it has proven difficult to find even a man from this time period. I guess I can’t complain, considering I’ve found more about Mary Noyes Colvin than her judge father or even her husband, who must exist, because of the whole, “Mrs. Colvin” thing but he’s MIA too.

So, I still have questions. But I’ve got a good amount of answers, too. Mary Noyes Colvin was nothing short of a badass. And to further solidify that, check out these people who knew her vouch for it in this compilation of letters of reference of hers, circa 1882-88.

*Mic drop.*

While transcribing the minutes from the 90th meeting of the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore, dated November 7, 1893, I found myself reading pieces from the past that had been translated by various club members. Examples include a poem called “Shipwrecked,” translated from French to English by Mrs. Latimer, as well as Mrs. Volck’s translation of an essay, written in German by a Professor Rümelin. The recording secretary, Lydia Crane, included the content of these translations while applauding the talent of the translators themselves. In referring to the difficulties of translating, she stated “while many ideas are common to man everywhere, we must take into account that authors of other times and other nations have addressed their contemporaries and their compatriots.” This resonated with me in the sense that, though we speak the same language and live in the same nation as these women, much time has passed since the club’s conception and dissolution; ideas have evolved and attitudes have shifted. Through reading these meeting minutes, it became evident that we are truly living in a different world. Further, the act of transcribing and editing these entries is a unique variation of translation, as the individuals working on this project are responsible communicating this rich history with the modern world. 

Shining a light on the gender ideology “trapped” within Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is what I intend to do in this blog post. The domain in which women were apart of in 19^th century America is described through the doctrine of separate spheres. This created a constraining form of gender ideology that both sexes were forced to comply to because of the way society treated them. The doctrine of separate spheres is an old common law principle, that depicts men living out their lives in the public eye. They are at “home” in the workplace and take pride making changes in the government and in general community life. Females on the other hand are living in their own private sector. Where women belong is in the home keeping all opinions to themselves while making life easier for everyone around them, no matter what their own personal feelings towards the matter are. This type of segregated society causes women live by certain unwritten rules and regulations. Gilman uses many words and symbols to help further prove her point of gender ideology trapping women behind wall paper. I admire the symbolic nature of this text and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The use of the word sin to describe the wall paper helps prove that it symbolizes gender ideology. The main character gives a detailed account of the wall paper by saying it “commits an artistic sin” (Gilman 487). The ideal characteristics of women in the 19^th century are purity, piety, and domesticity. Purity and piety are both terms that are often associated with religion, the word sin also shares that same correlation. Here Gilman uses an interesting choice of language. The wall paper represents ideology; this specific form of ideology is closely related to a woman being angelic. Therefore, relating the wall paper to a sin is strongly contradicting the ideas behind a woman’s role in the doctrine of separate spheres society. The use of sin shines an extremely negative light upon participating in the ideology, epically since these women of the 19^th century pride themselves on fitting the criteria of someone who is pious and pure.

The color of the wall paper is a symbol for how old and outdated the doctrine of separate spheres is regarding women’s position in society. Yellow, which is the color of the wall paper, represents something that is old and decaying. Jane speaks about the color by saying how it is “repellent, almost revolting” (Gilman 487). She also says it is “unclean” (Gilman 487) and “faded” (Gilman 487). Yellowing of the skin happens when a human is becoming old. Paper also yellows over time. The wall paper being yellow represents how the idea that women must be confined to the household and have no position in the public domain is outdated. This old world common law is something that needs to be changed. The yellow wall paper needs to be stripped and a fresh coat of paint needs to replace it.

The yellow wall paper being studied, actualized, and finally torn down symbolizes the journey that women are going to have to go through to break from the 19^th century gender ideology. The wall paper entrapping women behind it displays the sovereignty that the doctrine of separate spheres had over the women of 1893. These females felt trapped and the only way to break from the vicious cycle of being a housewife is to band together and stand up for your own rights. The inspiring message behind this story conveyed through descriptive symbolic language motivated the women of the 19^th century to take a stand and break the mold.

Works Cited:

Stetson, Charlotte Perkins. “The Literature of Prescription.” The Yellow Wall-Paper, www.nlm.nih.gov/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf.