Seen on the Blogosphere: Sports and Recreation for Regency Ladies

A collection at the University of Delaware offers descriptions of these two books:

Healthful Sports for Young Ladies. London: Printed for R. Ackermann by W. Clowes, 1822. The author, Mlle St. Sernin, was a French governess. The illustrations are by Jean Demosthene Dugourc (1749-1825). Other illustrations include tossing a ball and riding on a see saw. The digitized version of this book can be found at this link at The Library of Congress.




A Course of Calisthenics for Young Ladies… Hartford: H. and F. J. Huntington, 1831. Written as a series of letters to a friend, the book stresses the importance of physical exercise for young women. Students can be injured during their education by the uncomfortable chairs, excessive amounts of homework, and the fashion of tightly-laced clothing. A series of very gentle games and exercises are suggested to alleviate these problems.

• Click here to view the bibliography of this special collection.