My research in the field of terrestrial and hydrographic map printing has yielded evidence that the widows of those involved in the trade could be quite adept at pursuing similar commercial attention as well as compensation (or patronage) from a variety of sources in recognition of their husbands’ services. In ...
(Show more)My research in the field of terrestrial and hydrographic map printing has yielded evidence that the widows of those involved in the trade could be quite adept at pursuing similar commercial attention as well as compensation (or patronage) from a variety of sources in recognition of their husbands’ services. In other words, widows knew well the avenues of power and participated, like their husbands, in the social institution of patronage. Exploiting many of the same methods as their husbands, these widows of booksellers, map sellers, printers, map publishers, and engravers often sought to foster successful businesses. For example, in England the absence of strong centralized state sponsorship led widows, like their husbands before them, to exploit commercial avenues such as subscriptions and printed catalogues as well as more local patronage efforts. Meanwhile in France, the widow-mapmakers often looked for continued crown or state patronage. After the deaths of their husbands, widows in both countries continued to pursue support or patronage—most often as a recognition of the importance of the work produced—in an effort similar to the method that had helped their husbands establish successful businesses. They both, however, added, not surprisingly, the “widow element” that reflected on the committed service of their husbands to valuable commercial efforts as well as local or crown interests, expressed their vulnerable position in the field of geographic production, and all this in an effort to maintain some financial solvency while often at the same time promoting the position of a young son or business heir. This investigation, still in its early stages, utilizes the letters, contracts, wills, published works, and governmental decrees involving widows in France and England primarily from the period of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The material gathered is archival in nature and piecing together the lives of these women is quite a challenge, but research of this nature will help to move the study of women in the geographical field beyond the erroneous idea of little to no participation and helpful but limited lists of names to a greater understanding of the challenges women faced in the commercial (and scientific) arena.
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