Synopses & Reviews
"A wonderfully readable and engaging book that draws on an astonishing range of sources. Filled with the stories of women who presided over 'traditionally feminine' enterprises and those who challenged gender stereotypes, it places these entrepreneurs in the larger history of women in business and the history of American economic development. (Wendy Gamber, author of The Female Economy: The Millinery and Dressmaking Trades, 1860-1930)" "What an inspiring collection of stories this is. Enterprising Women exquisitely portrays the lives of dozens of women who leaped barriers of family, money, and traditional expectation to build the American economy and to make their own fortunes as well. I am moved and enlightened by this elegantly written and illustrated tale of success. (Alice Kessler-Harris, author of In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men, and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in 20th-Century America)" "I truly enjoyed the book! It's so important that women read about successful female-owned and run businesses. Our possibilities are more apparent when our past successes are documented and shared. I have much hope that the current generation of women who will inherit the freedom created by the pioneering efforts of the women described will assist in the actualization of their potential as businesswomen and human beings. (Roxanne Quimby, CEO and co-founder of Burt's Bees)" "What a gift Virginia Drachman has bestowed by telling the story of women entrepreneurs and innovators in the way it should have been told all along. I learned so much! (A'Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker)" Inspiring and long overdue. (Booklist)
Review
"What an inspiring collection of stories this is. Enterprising Women exquisitely portrays the lives of dozens of women who leaped barriers of family, money, and traditional expectation to build the American economy and to make their own fortunes as well. I am moved and enlightened by this elegantly written and illustrated tale of success. (Alice Kessler-Harris, author of In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men, and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in 20th-Century America)"
Review
"I truly enjoyed the book! It's so important that women read about successful female-owned and run businesses. Our possibilities are more apparent when our past successes are documented and shared. I have much hope that the current generation of women who will inherit the freedom created by the pioneering efforts of the women described will assist in the actualization of their potential as businesswomen and human beings. (Roxanne Quimby, CEO and co-founder of Burt's Bees)"
Review
"A wonderfully readable and engaging book that draws on an astonishing range of sources. Filled with the stories of women who presided over 'traditionally feminine' enterprises and those who challenged gender stereotypes, it places these entrepreneurs in the larger history of women in business and the history of American economic development. (Wendy Gamber, author of The Female Economy: The Millinery and Dressmaking Trades, 1860-1930)"
Review
"What a gift Virginia Drachman has bestowed by telling the story of women entrepreneurs and innovators in the way it should have been told all along. I learned so much! (A'Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker)"
Review
Inspiring and long overdue. (Booklist)
Synopsis
Meet Katherine Goddard, owner of a print shop and publisher of the first signed copy of the Declaration of Independence; meet Madam C. J. Walker, whose hair care products brought her from her slave parents' dilapidated cabin to her own Hudson River estate; and meet Katharine Graham, publisher of the Pentagon Papers and owner of the Washington Post Company.
These are just three of the diverse women whose lives unfold in this engaging history of women entrepreneurs in America from the colonial era to the end of the twentieth century. Some ran businesses in industries dominated by men, such as iron and aircraft production, while others built businesses that marketed specifically to women, in industries such as beauty, fashion, and food. Despite facing gender discrimination and the burdens of work and family, these women entrepreneurs understood the value of a good idea, were willing to take a risk, and believed in the possibility of the American dream of success.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-174) and index.
Synopsis
Drachman presents an engaging history of women entrepreneurs in America from the colonial era to the end of the twentieth century. Enterprising Women is the companion publication to the national traveling exhibition organized by the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University and the National Heritage Museum, Lexington, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Introducing Enterprising Women
"To live and act as I please": Seeking Independence, 1750-1830
"To guide and encourage other women in business": Profit in the Service of Women, 1830-1890
"A field that is their own province": Fasioning the Buisiness of Beauty, 1890-1960
"The cleverest women . . . have entered most of the business fields": Breaking New Ground, 1890-1960
"Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. Let's go.": Women Take Charge, 1960-2000
Notes
Further Reading
Picture Credits
Index
Acknowledgments