Timeline: ENGL 334 No Dead White Men

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This timeline highlights historical, political, social, and cultural events related to women, colonialism, and enslavement. 

Timeline

Chronological table

Displaying 51 - 86 of 86
Date Event Created by Associated Places
1 Dec 1867

Clerkenwell Prison bombing

A bomb planted by Irish Fenians at Clerkenwell Prison in London exploded on 13 December 1867, killing over a dozen people and injuring many more.

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Sarah Winter, “On the Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica and the Governor Eyre-George William Gordon Controversy, 1865-70″

David Rettenmaier
Nov 1869

Suez Canal opens

NASA image of the Suez CanalThe opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 established a far shorter and more efficient route for trade and traffic between Europe and Asia. It also gave new strategic importance to Egypt and East Africa, making knowledge and control of the interior a matter of greater urgency for various states. Image: NASA image of the Suez Canal, taken by MISR satellite on January 30, 2001. This image is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted."

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Dane Kennedy, "The Search for the Nile"

David Rettenmaier
9 Aug 1870

1870 Married Women's Property Act

British Coat of ArmsOn 9 August 1870, the Married Women’s Property Act was passed. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

This Act established limited protections for some separate property for married women, including the right to retain up to £200 of any earning or inheritance. Before this all of a woman's property owned before her marriage, as well as all acquired after the marriage, automatically became her husband's alone. Only women whose families negotiated different terms in a marriage contract were able to retain control of some portion of their property.

Articles

Rachel Ablow, "On the Married Woman's Property Act, 1870"

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Kelly Hager, “Chipping Away at Coverture: The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857″

Jill Rappoport, “Wives and Sons: Coverture, Primogeniture, and Married Women’s Property”

Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″

David Rettenmaier
2 Jul 1872

Stanley finds Livingstone

Photo of David LivingstoneOn 2 July 1872, Henry Morton Stanley finds Dr. David Livingstone in Africa. Image: Thomas Annan, Photograph of Stanley Livingstone. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

On 2 July 1872, the New York Herald reported news of the meeting between Henry Morton Stanley and Dr. David Livingstone in Africa. The Scottish missionary had been out of contact for nearly three years when Stanley traveled to Africa in search of him. The meeting took place at Ujiji in either October or November 1871 (the precise date is unknown). The meeting was one of the most sensational news stories of the nineteenth century. Stanley’s greeting “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” is still a well known phrase. The meeting turned public attention to the African slave trade and was a pivotal moment in the relationship among the United States, Europe, and Africa.

Articles

Matthew Rubery, "On Henry Morton Stanley's Search for Dr. Livingstone, 1871-72"

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Dane Kennedy, "The Search for the Nile"

David Rettenmaier
25 Dec 1872

Buswell murdered

AdvertisementOn 24-25 December 1872, a man murdered Harriet Buswell in her home. The perpetrator was never apprehended. Image: Police request for help in the Buswell murder. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Marlene Tromp, “A Priori: Harriet Buswell and Unsolved Murder Before Jack the Ripper, 24-25 December 1872″

David Rettenmaier
1874 to 1877

Stanley expedition to Africa

Photo of Stanley1874-77 are the inclusive dates of Henry Morton Stanley's transcontinental expedition. This remarkable expedition resolved the major questions surrounding the source of the Nile. Stanley circumnavigated Lake Victoria, confirming John Hanning Speke’s claim that the Nile exited from its northern shore. He then circumnavigated Lake Tanganyika, disproving speculation that it provided an alternative tributary to the Nile. Finally, he followed the course of the Lualaba river, demonstrating that it flowed into the Congo, which he took to its outlet in the Atlantic. Image: Photograph of Sir Henry Morton Stanley from The Autobiography of Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1890). This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired. Note that the exact month of the beginning and end of this expedition is difficult to determine.

Articles

Dane Kennedy, "The Search for the Nile"

David Rettenmaier
8 Feb 1876

Victoria opens parliament

Portrait of Queen VictoriaOn 8 February 1876, Victoria opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death (1861) and announced that the Royal Titles Bill will be introduced into Parliament. Image: George Hayter, State portrait of Queen Victoria, 1860 (oil on canvas), from the Government Art Collection of the United Kingdom. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

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Julie Codell, “On the Delhi Coronation Durbars, 1877, 1903, 1911″

David Rettenmaier
1 Jun 1876 to 1 Jun 1878

Great Indian Famine of 1876–78

[caption id="attachment_3198" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The last of the herd. Author: Horace Harral[/caption]In 1876-8, somewhere between six and eleven million people died in southern and western India of starvation and other famine-related conditions.

These estimates are taken from:
Davis, Mike. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. London: Verso, 2002. Print. pp. 7.

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Kathleen Frederickson, "British Writers on Population, Infrastructure, and the Great Indian Famine of 1876-8"

David Rettenmaier
1 Jan 1883

1882 Married Women's Property Act

British Coat of Arms1882 Married Women's Property Act passed on 1 Jan 1883. Referred to as the 1882 MWPA, the Act came into effect at the beginning of 1883. Although still identifying some married women's property as "separate," this Act significantly increased the scope and protections for married women's acquisition and retention of property separate from their husbands. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Articles

Jill Rappoport, “Wives and Sons: Coverture, Primogeniture, and Married Women’s Property”

Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″

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Rachel Ablow, “‘One Flesh,’ One Person, and the 1870 Married Women’s Property Act”

David Rettenmaier
4 Jan 1884

Fabian Society founded

Fabian tortoiseOn 4 January 1884, Fabian Society was founded. The Fabian Society was committed to gradualism, electoralism, and “progressive” imperialism. Image: The tortoise is the symbol of Fabian Society, representing its goal of gradual expansion of socialism. This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Eleanor Courtemanche, “On the Publication of Fabian Essays in Socialism, December 1889″

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Florence Boos, “The Socialist League, founded 30 December 1884″

David Rettenmaier
4 May 1886 to 14 Oct 1886

Colonial and Indian Exhibition

Representation of the Colonial Indian ExhibitionThe Colonial and Indian Exhibition opened in South Kensington on 4 May 4 1886, lasted over six months, and accommodated 5.5 million visitors. Image: “Woodcarvers (Courtyard of Indian Palace).” “Colonial Indian Exhibition: The Indian Empire.” Illustrated London News 17 July 1886: 84. Courtesy of the Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine.

Featuring extravagant displays from British colonial holdings, the exhibit was organized by the Prince of Wales as an “imperial object lesson” in England’s power and grandeur.

Articles

Aviva Briefel, "On the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition"

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Audrey Jaffe, "On the Great Exhibition"

Anne Helmreich, "On the Opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 10 June 1854"

Anne Clendinning, “On The British Empire Exhibition, 1924-25″

Erika Rappaport, “Object Lessons and Colonial Histories: Inventing the Jubilee of Indian Tea”

David Rettenmaier
1 Jan 1887

Year of Jubilee

Portrait of Queen VictoriaThe 1887 Year of Jubilee was a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria. Image: George Hayter, State portrait of Queen Victoria, 1860 (oil on canvas), from the Government Art Collection of the United Kingdom. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Related Articles

Erika Rappaport, “Object Lessons and Colonial Histories: Inventing the Jubilee of Indian Tea”

David Rettenmaier
Apr 1887

Indian/Ceylon tea surpasses Chinese imports

Image from ReadeIn April 1887, Indian and Ceylon tea surpasses Chinese imports in the British domestic market. Image: Taken from Reade, _Tea and Tea Drinking_ (1884), p. 89. This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Related Articles

Erika Rappaport, “Object Lessons and Colonial Histories: Inventing the Jubilee of Indian Tea”

David Rettenmaier
1 Nov 1887

Bloody Sunday

engraving, Bloody SundayOn 13 November 1887, “Bloody Sunday” occurred. Police charged against socialists after a Trafalgar Square protest against unemployment and the Irish Coercion Acts; 75 were wounded. At another Trafalgar Square protest on November 20, a bystander, Alfred Linnell, was trampled by a police horse and later died of wounds. Image: Bloody Sunday, 1887. This engraving from the The Illustrated London News depicts a policeman being clubbed by a demonstrator as he wrests a banner from a female protester.

Articles

Florence Boos, “The Socialist League, founded 30 December 1884″

David Rettenmaier
Jul 1888

London Matchgirls' Strike

In July 1888, the London Matchgirls' Strike occurred.

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Heidi Kaufman, “1800-1900: Inside and Outside the Nineteenth-Century East End”

David Rettenmaier
Aug 1888 to Sep 1889

Jack the Ripper murders

From August 1888 to September 1889, the serial killer known as the Whitechapel Murderer or Jack the Ripper stalked women living in the East End of London.

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Heidi Kaufman, “1800-1900: Inside and Outside the Nineteenth-Century East End”

Marlene Tromp, “A Priori: Harriet Buswell and Unsolved Murder Before Jack the Ripper, 24-25 December 1872″

David Rettenmaier
Aug 1888

Bloomsbury Socialist Society formed

cover of manifesto of the socialist leagueOn 20 May 1888, the parliamentary group of the Socialist League lost a vote on their proposal to contest elections. The group led by Edward Aveling, Eleanor Marx, A. K. Donald and others seceded from the Socialist League August 1888 to form the Bloomsbury Socialist Society. Image: Cover of the Manifesto of the Socialist League, 1885. Published prior to 1923, public domain. Digital image from the Tim Davenport collection, no copyright claimed.

Articles

Florence Boos, “The Socialist League, founded 30 December 1884″

David Rettenmaier
25 Jul 1890

Western Australian Constitution Act

coat of arms of AustraliaOn 25 July 1890, the British parliament passed the Western Australian Constitution Act, 1889 (52 Vict. No. 23), including Section 70 which attempted to protect and support the welfare of Aboriginal people. Image: Coat of Arms of Australia. This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Ann Curthoys, “Settler Self-Government versus Aboriginal Rights, 1883 – 2001: The Shocking History of Section 70 of the Western Australian Constitution”

David Rettenmaier
Jan 1892

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

photo of MitchellIn January 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman published her semi-autobiographical short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” in the New England Magazine. The tale’s heroine is a depressed new mother who goes mad while enduring a modified Rest Cure. Gilman herself underwent the Rest Cure in 1887 at the hands of Philadelphia neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell, who is briefly mentioned in the story. Image: Photograph of Silas Weir Mitchell, 1881. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Anne Stiles, “The Rest Cure, 1873-1925″

David Rettenmaier
17 Jan 1893

Queen Lili‘uokalani Deposed

photo of LiliuokalaniOn 17 January 1893, the self-appointed Committee of Safety, comprised mostly of business interests, seized control of the government building in Hawaii and was recognized by U.S. Minister John Stevens as the de facto government of the islands. Queen Lili‘uokalani was thus deposed. Image: Photograph of Liliuokalani taken in 1891 at the beginning of her reign at Iolani Palace (source: University of California Libraries). This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.

Articles

Stephen Hancock, “On the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy, 1893″

David Rettenmaier
1 May 1893 to 30 Oct 1893

Columbian Exhibition, Chicago

From 1 May 1893 to 30 October 1893, the Columbian Exhibition was held in Chicago. The exhibition had a Women’s Pavilion and the World’s Congress of Representative Women was held there on 15 May 1893.

Articles

Meaghan Clarke, “1894: The Year of the New Woman Art Critic”

Carol Senf, “‘The Fiddler of the Reels’: Hardy’s Reflection on the Past”

David Rettenmaier
1894

"New Aspect of the Woman Question"

In March 1894, Sarah Grand's “The New Aspect of the Woman Question” was published. The essay in North American Review, vol.158, no.448, March 1894, pp.270–6 has been credited with identifying the "New Woman."

Articles

Meaghan Clarke, “1894: The Year of the New Woman Art Critic”

David Rettenmaier
May 1894

Story of a Modern Woman

In May 1894, Ella Hepworth Dixon's The Story of a Modern Woman was published. It is the best-known New Woman novel and draws on Dixon's own experiences supporting herself as a journalist.

Articles

Meaghan Clarke, “1894: The Year of the New Woman Art Critic”

David Rettenmaier
27 Jun 1894

End of the 3-Volume Novel

"Going to Mudie's"On 27 June 1894, Mudie’s Select Library and W. H. Smith’s, the largest of the private circulating libraries that provided many Victorians with their reading material, issued simultaneous announcements specifying the new terms on which they would buy novels from publishers, beginning in the next calendar year. This change spelled the effective end of the 3-volume system; whereas 112 three-volume works were published in 1894, only two were published in 1897. Image: "Going to Mudie's," London Society v.16, no. 95, Nov. 1869. This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Richard Menke, “The End of the Three-Volume Novel System, 27 June 1894″

David Rettenmaier
Apr 1895 to May 1895

Trials of Oscar Wilde

photo of WildeThe trials of Oscar Wilde, which occurred in April and May of 1895, have become legendary as a turning-point in the history of public awareness of homosexuality. By their close, Wilde had gone from being a triumphantly successful playwright to a ruined man, condemned to two years of hard labor for gross indecency. They garnered extensive coverage first in the London press and then in newspapers around the world; the story of the trials continues to be retold in ways that have persistent relevance for contemporary queer culture. Image: Photograph of Oscar Wilde, by Napoleon Sarony. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Andrew Elfenbein, “On the Trials of Oscar Wilde: Myths and Realities”

David Rettenmaier
20 Feb 1896

Theatrograph

screen shot from Paul filmOn 20 February 1896, Robert W. Paul exhibits his moving-image projection, the “Theatrograph,” at Finsbury Technical College in London. This was the most successful British equivalent of the French film projector, dubbed the “Cinématographe.” The Cinématographe was exhibited the previous year, 1895, by Auguste and Louis Lumière. Paul’s machine was later renamed the “Animatograph.” Image: Screenshot from Robert W. Paul's film Blackfriars Bridge (1896), exhibited at the Alhambra Music Hall in Leicester Square in 1896. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Article

Garrett Stewart, "Curtain Up on Victorian Popular Cinema; Or, The Critical Theater of the Animatograph"

David Rettenmaier
25 Mar 1896

Animatograph

screen shot from Paul filmOn 25 March 1896, Robert W. Paul exhibits his moving-image projection, renamed the “Animatograph,” at the Alhambra Music Hall in Leicester Square. This moving-image projector was originally named the “Theatograph” at an earlier unveiling on 20 February 1896. Paul’s machine was the most successful British equivalent of the French film projector, dubbed the “Cinématographe.” The Cinématographe was exhibited the previous year, 1895, by Auguste and Louis Lumière. Image: Screenshot from Robert W. Paul's film Blackfriars Bridge (1896), exhibited at the Alhambra Music Hall in Leicester Square in 1896. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Garrett Stewart, "Curtain Up on Victorian Popular Cinema; Or, The Critical Theater of the Animatograph"

David Rettenmaier
Oct 1897 to Nov 1897

"Beauty and Ugliness"

Photo of Vernon LeeVernon Lee (Violet Paget) and Clementina (“Kit”) Anstruther-Thomson first published “Beauty & Ugliness,” a work of “anthropomorphic aesthetics,” in the October/November numbers of the Contemporary Review. Later published as Beauty & Ugliness and Other Studies in Psychological Aesthetics (London: John Lane, 1912). Image: Photograph of Vernon Lee (Violet Paget), author unknown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Rae Greiner, “1909: The Introduction of the Word ‘Empathy’ into English”

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Suzanne Keen, “‘Altruism’ Makes a Space for Empathy, 1852″

David Rettenmaier
11 Dec 1897

Aborigines Act 1897 of Western Australia

coat of arms of Australia11 December 1897 saw the Royal assent to the Aborigines Act 1897 of Western Australia (61 /Vict. No. 5), in which the provisions of Section 70 of the Western Australian Constitution Act were repealed. Section 70 had sought to protect and support the welfare of Aboriginal people. Image: Coat of Arms of Australia. This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Ann Curthoys, “Settler Self-Government versus Aboriginal Rights, 1883 – 2001: The Shocking History of Section 70 of the Western Australian Constitution”

David Rettenmaier
11 Oct 1899 to 31 May 1902

Second Boer War

Crane, Stop the WarOn 11 Oct 1899, war was declared between Britain and the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State, two independent Boer nations in southern Africa. The Treaty of Vereeniging concluded the Second Boer War on 31 May 1902. The fighting had resulted in c. 45,000 British military casualties and around 40,000 combined military and civilian casualties among the Boers. Eight years later in 1910, the Union of South Africa made the region a dominion of the British Empire. Image: Walter Crane, “Stop the War,” page 297, The War Against War in South Africa, 23 February 1900, wood engraving, courtesy of Yale University.

Articles

Jo Briggs, “The Second Boer War, 1899-1902: Anti-Imperialism and European Visual Culture”

David Rettenmaier
Jun 1901

Hobhouse report on Second Boer War

Crane, Stop the WarFollowing a June 1901 report to the British government by Emily Hobhouse, news of high mortality rates among Boer women and children displaced by the scorched earth policy of the British army and placed in concentration camps began to appear in European newspapers, adding to the international outcry against the war. After the war, it was estimated that approximately 28,000 Boer civilians lost their lives in the camps through starvation, disease, and exposure. Image: Walter Crane, “Stop the War,” page 297, The War Against War in South Africa, 23 February 1900, wood engraving, courtesy of Yale University.

Articles

Jo Briggs, “The Second Boer War, 1899-1902: Anti-Imperialism and European Visual Culture”

David Rettenmaier
Jan 1905

A Dark Lantern

albumen of RobinsIn 1905, Elizabeth Robins, a well-known actress and feminist, published a novel about the Rest Cure called A Dark Lantern. (Exact month of publication unknown; if you have information about the correct date, please email [email protected] with this information.) The novel fictionalized aspects of Robins’ own rest cure in 1903, including her infatuation with her physician, Dr. Vaughn Harley. Image: Albumen of Elizabeth Robins, circa 1890s, by W&D Downey, London. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Anne Stiles, “The Rest Cure, 1873-1925″

David Rettenmaier
28 Aug 1907

Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act

British Coat of ArmsDeceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act passed on 28 Aug 1907. Although there are minor clauses and clarifications, the Act's opening and primary clause is simply this: "[n]o marriage heretofore or hereafter contracted between a man and his deceased wife’s sister, within the realm or without, shall be deemed to have been or shall be void or voidable, as a civil contract, by reason only of such affinity." Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Articles

Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″

David Rettenmaier
1 Aug 1910

Death of Florence Nightingale

Photo of NightingaleOn 13 August 1910, Florence Nightingale passed away at the age of ninety due to heart failure. Although invalided since the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale’s fame continued to grow throughout her lifetime. Newspapers across the English-speaking world covered her passing with great interest. Image: Photograph of Florence Nightingale (1858). This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Lara Kriegel, “On the Death—and Life—of Florence Nightingale, August 1910″

David Rettenmaier
20 Aug 1910

Nightingale ceremony

Photo of NightingaleOn 20 August 1910, a public ceremony in London and a private burial in Hampshire are organized in Florence Nightingale’s memory. Image: Photograph of Florence Nightingale (1858). This image is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright has expired.

Articles

Lara Kriegel, “On the Death—and Life—of Florence Nightingale, August 1910″

David Rettenmaier
12 May 1911

Festival of Empire

View of the Festival of EmpireOpening of the Festival of Empire on 12 May 1911. Image: Festival of Empire at the Crystal Palace in South London, taken from the replica Canadian parliament building (1911; author unknown). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Located at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, the Festival of Empire, originally scheduled for 1910 but postponed due to the death of Edward VII, was a physical manifestation of imperial rhetoric. British colonies and dominions were represented by three-quarter size replicas of their Parliamentary buildings housing exhibits of products of those countries as well as scenes recreating the physical environment of select locales, such as a Maori village. The Festival of London, part of the Festival of Empire, featured historical pageants and reinforced London’s role as the chief locus of empire

Articles

Anne Helmreich, "On the Opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 10 June 1854"

Related Articles

Aviva Briefel, "On the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition"

Anne Clendinning, “On The British Empire Exhibition, 1924-25″

David Rettenmaier

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