Press

ALBANY, NY - "New York State Girls," an exhibition highlighting the history and diversity of girls and their role in the culture of New York State, will open Tuesday, October 15 at the New York State Museum.

The exhibition explores activities common to many girls, but from a New York perspective. It is centered around the themes of education, recreation, work and rites of passage, which serve as windows to understanding the roles of girls in New York culture. The exhibition celebrates the cultural diversity of New York girls and the many ways they marked the transition from girlhood to womanhood.

"Girls Education - A Tradition in New York" focuses on formal and informal education. Although Dutch settlers in "Niew Netherlands" provided for the public education of girls, many European settlers believed educating girls was a waste of time. Before the Civil War, academic education for girls was rare. Well-to-do girls were taught the necessary skills to read the bible, as well as the "graces" (watercolor painting, embroidery and music). Included in this section is schoolgirl art, a style of art popular during the 19th century, including a sampler, landscape on sandpaper and theorem painting.
The education section details New York State's role as an innovator in academic education for women for over two centuries. Items from the Emma Willard School in Troy help to tell the story of the pioneering academic institution established in Troy in 1821 with the encouragement of the progressive thinking Governor Dewitt Clinton. Many other girls' schools quickly followed.

The recreation section chronicles the growth of leisure activities for girls in New York State. Victorian rules on appropriate behavior, based on class and gender, limited girls' enjoyment of play well into the 20th century. To prepare them for future roles as wives and mothers, girls used toys, such as dolls, tiny cooking and tea sets, an ironing board, wash tub and other items to mimic and learn the work their mothers did.

In a break from this tradition, camps opened for girls in the state in the late 1800s. In the
early 1920s they were segregated according to religion, gender, economics and race. Over time they
evolved and became more inclusive. In 1898, a camp opened in Altamont for older working girls. A church sponsored camp for black children was established in New Paltz between 1928 and 1935 and a rare integrated, co-educational camp opened in Pauling in the 1930s.

The exhibition also documents the growth of the Girl Scout organization in the state, dating back to the 1930s when its facilities were segregated, to the present time when girls of all races are welcome. Girl scout apparel, pins, badges and other items will be on display.

The rites of passage, which girls observe as they pass from girlhood to womanhood, are documented through the display of various items that reflect cultural diversity in New York State. These include objects associated with a girl's religion, such as the Bat Mitzvah in the Jewish religion and the First Communion ceremony of the Catholic faith. It includes a dress, parasol, tiara and other items associated with LaQuinceanera, a celebration of a Latino girl's 15th year that emerged from several customs, including some with Catholic overtones.

The section on work focuses in on a key period of American history highlighting the pivotal role girls played in the labor movement. In pre-industrial New York, girls were considered an extra pair of hands to do chores around the house or on the farm. They assisted in cooking, dishwashing, sewing, house cleaning and farm chores. With the introduction of machines, particularly in the textile industry, girls left the farm for the cities where they could earn money for their work. Immigrant girls also flooded into the urban labor force. By the early 20th century, over half of the laborers were women, 65 percent were between the ages of 16 and 25 and their average workweek totaled 56 hours.

In the so-called "Shirtwaist Strike" of 1909-1910, socialists and socialites faced police beatings and threats by employers and powerful newspapers in their fight for decent working conditions for girls and women toiling in sweatshops and garment factories all over the country.

The New York Girls exhibition was sponsored and assembled by the New York State Museum and the Governor's Office Division for Women.

The New York State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The state museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.