Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Woman's Century Club photograph collection, 1895-2006
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Woman's Century Club (Seattle, Wash.)
- Title
- Woman's Century Club photograph collection
- Dates
- 1895-2006 (inclusive)18952006
- Quantity
- 130 photographs (1 box and 1 oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- PH2017-056
- Summary
- Photographs of Woman's Century Club members, their clubhouse, and related events
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on access.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Woman's Century Club was founded by ten Seattle women (including the club's first president, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt) on July 31, 1891. The club was organized at the home of Julia E. Kennedy, Seattle's first female superintendent of schools. Its purpose was to promote the intellectual growth of its members and to lend its influence toward solving altruistic problems of the community. The club was named in reference to the nineteenth century, which many women called the Woman's Century in recognition of the great accomplishments women had made in those years. The Woman's Century Club, both a social and educational club, was comprised of "departments" or interest groups representing members' academic interests, including Art, Current Events, Drama, Household Administration, Literature and Travel, Music, Parliamentary Procedure, Philosophy and Science, Political Science, and Social Service. The club also served the community by, among other initiatives, paying the salary of the city's first librarian and working to raise the age of consent from 12 to 18.
After first meeting at the Seattle Public Library and at members' homes, the club built its own meeting space in 1925 at 807 East Roy Street (the Harvard Exit) in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The space allowed the club to host popular activities including lectures and presentations, concerts, theatrical productions, receptions (one honoring Amelia Earhart in 1933), and more. Upon the building’s transformation into a movie theater in 1968, the club continued to meet in the lobby of the Harvard Exit until January 2015. The building was then sold and slated for offices and a restaurant, and club meetings were held at the Dearborn House on First Hill.
For forty years between the 1920s and 1960s, the club also had a separate Juniors group that was open to the daughters of club members.
(Source: "Woman's Century Club (Seattle)" essay by Mildred Andrews (1998), historylink.org and “After 90 years at the Harvard Exit, Woman’s Century Club finds a new First Hill home” by Bryan Cohen (2015), http://www.capitolhillseattle.com)
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs of the Woman's Century Club groups, events, and clubhouse. Portraits of WCC's first president Carrie Chapman Catt and other early members.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | WCC Clubhouse: 807 E. Roy,
Seattle 4 photographs of the clubhouse exterior.
|
undated |
1/2 | WCC members 1 photograph
|
June 16, 1895 |
1/3 | WCC Art Department 4 photographs
|
1915 |
1/4 | WCC Clubhouse history 6 photographs from WCC Clubhouse history poster: 1 portrait of
Carrie Chapman Catt, 1 portrait of Bertha K. Landes, and 4 photographs of the
interior of the clubhouse
|
circa 1920 |
1/5 | Portraits 2 photographs
|
circa 1920-1930 |
1/6 | WCC members 3 photographs
|
1935 |
1/7 | Appraisal photos 9 photographs of furniture, ornamental pieces, and wall hangings.
Description and pricing of objects are listed on the back of the
photographs.
|
1979 |
1/8-1/13 | WCC members and events 58 photographs
|
1994-2006 |
1/14 | WCC fund-raiser 41 photographs
|
2006 |
folder:oversize | ||
OS 1 | Carrie Chapman Catt and Amanda
MacPherson 1 portrait of Carrie Chapman Catt along with a copy of her letter
to Mrs. Blake D. Mills of WCC. 1 portrait of Amanda MacPherson.
|
circa 1920-1930 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Women--Washington (State)--Seattle--Societies and clubs--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Woman's Century Club (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives
- Woman's Century Club (Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographs
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)