LETTERS READ: The Josephine Louise Newcomb Story

From LETTERS READ by Nancy Sharon Collins

November 8, 2024 · 29 min · Season 8 · Episode 2

About this episode

This episode features a live reading from the archives of Josephine Louise Newcomb, highlighting her contributions to women's education.

October 29 at 7:00 pm CDT Newcomb Institute Diboll Gallery, room 300 3rd floor of the Commons 43 Newcomb Place Tulane University campus. A second reading from the archives of Josephine Louise Newcomb. This one performed, live, at Newcomb Institute. Emcee and Readers: Nick Slie, Lisa Shattuck, Shadow Angelina Starkey, and Robert Valley H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was established by Josephine Louise Monnier Newcomb (“Jo”) as she was called, 1816 to 1901) as a memorial to her daughter Sophie who died at the age of 15. At a time when women were discouraged from education, an institution devoted to higher learning for women was a revolutionary idea. Ladies of Mrs. Newcomb’s privileged class were instead taught to have “accomplishments”. Such as parlor entertainments like piano playing and polite conversation. For the lower classes—who had to hire themselves out as domestic help to survive—cooking, cleaning, sewing, nursing, and caregiving for other people’s families were their lot. For them, education, such as it were, was learned scrubbing pots on the job. Until its post-Katrina consolidation into Tulane University, Newcomb College was a separate, four-year…

People in this episode

Guests: Nick Slie, Lisa Shattuck, Shadow Angelina Starkey, Robert Valley H.

Topics covered

women's education
historical letters
Newcomb College
live reading
Josephine Louise Newcomb
women's rights

Keywords

Josephine Louise Newcomb
Newcomb Institute
women's education
live reading
historical archives

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Newcomb Institute, Tulane University, Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, Susan Tucker, Beth Willinger