By the late 19th century, religion was losing its grasp on people and commercialization was galloping to take its place (Houghton 347). This upheaval placed a heavy demand on men to work hard and earn their keep. However, a more onerous task was imposed on women: she became a pillar that sustained the moral fortress that is her home. These social conditions paved the foundation for Victorian gender ideologies.

IDEAL WOMANHOOD
Specifically, a Victorian woman was expected to combat against the dangers stemming from the newfangled urbanization. Victorian society believed that a welcoming home deters her husband and sons from yielding to temptation and sin (Houghton 347). Therefore, the household was sanctuary that safeguarded the morality of men. As a result, women made their homes both physically and morally pristine. Moreover, a woman had to constantly embody Victorian virtues to preserve her morality and set an example for her family (Houghton 345). An ideal Victorian woman was chaste and meek, eager to obey and honor her husband (Houghton 348). It was crucial that she played her role impeccably, as any misstep would tear the family structure asunder.

Yet, she could never measure up to such unrealistic criteria. Moreover, a frustrating paradox arose from the family dynamic. Although the woman was a mainstay to the moral fibre of her family, she was still inferior to her husband. She is simultaneously indispensable and powerless. How does she confront these rigid and suffocating expectations? More importantly, how does she fashion her own identity?

This digital exhibit will use Victorian gender ideologies as a critical lens to closely examine the female characters in the text and image. Specifically, Mrs. Rathbourne acts as a representative example of a New Woman. By contrast, the unnamed woman in “Going to Church” is an archetype of the ideal Victorian female. Despite the different approaches, both the text and image capture the crux of female oppression in the Victorian era. Additionally, Volume IV and VI stood as bookends to Oscar Wilde’s scandal. Not surprisingly, The Yellow Book altered its content in response to the turmoil the scandal spawned. Taking the text and image at face value, it appears that the periodical regresses to antiquated views of femininity from Volumes IV to VI. Perhaps the magazine was fickle in its stance on female emancipation. Ironically, the Wilde trial triggered a shift that fortified female voices in The Yellow Book. Additionally, Dixon and Strang were two of the more obscure contributors to the periodical. This is especially true for Dixon, who was often eclipsed by her more famous sister, Ella Hepworth Dixon. This digital exhibit will offer fresh insight by looking at two overlooked contributors.