Model Women

William Anderson addresses young women through a combination of advice and biographical portraits. His opening chapters argue that daughters deserve an education equal to that of sons, treating physical health, intellectual development, moral discipline and spiritual life as parts of the same task. The contents bring together women associated with household management, charitable work, literature, science and religious service, including Elizabeth Fry, Caroline Herschel and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

The dedication places a high value on family responsibilities while calling for women to develop their minds and contribute more widely to society. In the account of Felicia Hemans, Anderson follows her childhood education in North Wales, her study of languages and her friendships with other writers. These details show how he links personal circumstances to intellectual achievement. The collection offers readers of women's biography a view of education and public usefulness shaped by strong expectations about faith, character and domestic life.