Women's History Resources in the Special Collections Research Center

Marriage Dowry of Lady Teresa de Alarce and Don Miguel de Carrion, 1551 October 11. This letter from Toledo, Spain regards the dowry of Lady Teresa de Alarce and Don Miguel de Carrion. It includes an inventory of assets of the bride's family that will be delivered to the husband to help support the couple financially. Read the digitized letter on the W&M Digital Archive.

"Wedding Bells" Courtship and Marriage Stereographs, circa 1900. Twenty-five stereographic photographs depicting a conventional path of a romantic relationship, from a couple's courtship to their wedding day. Each photograph is numbered and captioned.

Titled "The Book of the Bride Elect," this journal lists wedding gifts received and includes a newspaper clipping of Hall's wedding announcement.

Collection of letters, telegrams, and greeting cards sent by Ardessa "Dess" Pitts to her husband Private Madison F. Pitts, who served in an all-Black aviation squadron during World War II. Several of Pitts' letters express her desire to start a family.

This retelling of the classic fairy tale, handmade by "Vicki and Gail" in Atlanta in 1971, reimagines Sleeping Beauty through a queer perspective.

Chicago-based artist Julia Arredondo's typed cut-and-paste zine includes practical tips for budgeting for food and housing, as well as advice on friendship, healing and love.

Court documents (1820) relating to a case between William Lewis, described as a "man of color," and Matilda Baker, whose race is unidentified. Baker alleged that Lewis tried to rape her. Lewis was found guilty, and sentenced to a fine of "one cent and 39 lashes."

Letter, Ann Maury to her cousin Anne Herndon Maury, 1858 January 28. After hearing that Anne's daughter intends to use chloroform during childbirth, Maury writes to advise otherwise. Maury discusses the harmful effects chloroform can have on both the mother and child, as she has heard from others.

Margaret Sanger, credited with popularizing the term "birth control," writes about the future of individual and social problems in a world that upholds women's reproductive rights. Although an early supporter of reproductive justice, Sanger is also recognized as contributing to a growing eugenics movement. This copy is signed by Sanger.

Galanis, 16-years-old at the time she writes her diary (1924), describes living in homes for unwed women with children and expresses the difficulties of having to give up a child for adoption.

The papers of Dr. Elaine Themo, Professor of Sociology at W&M, include proposals for Women's Studies workshops, clippings about sexist fraternity posters, and reports about sexual harassment at W&M.

Women's Protests, Demonstrations, and Movements, 2017. Posters, buttons, and ephemera documenting the January 2017 Women's March on Washington, a large coalition of demonstrators advocating for, among other goals, reproductive justice, gender equality, and sexual assault awareness.

Records, including demonstration posters, fliers, and other ephemera from VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood, the student organization at W&M that forms a part of the Planned Parenthood Generation Action network.