The Ones that Got Away:
Victorian Women Travel Writers
Isabella Bird Bishop and Mary Kingsley, writers during the Victorian era, did what other women of their
time could often only dream of doing--they explored the world. An exhibit examining their works and
travels is currently being featured at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.
The Ones that Got Away: Victorian Women Travel Writers is
being held in conjunction with the
conference 18th and 19th Century British Women Writers, which will
be held at IU March 27 through
30. The exhibit contains excerpts from Bishop and Kingsley's written works accompanied by artifacts
from the countries they visited.
Even though these two women were the "ones that got away" and found freedom and adventure, Bird and
Kingsley were able to share their travel experiences with their homebound compatriots in their writings.
The two women had different attitudes and styles; while Bird traveled to places such as Tibet and wrote
books devoted to descriptions of her experiences, Kingsley's writings are presented as serious
contributions to anthropological literature with her travels focusing on the pursuit of knowledge of one
world area (West and West Central Africa).
Co-curators of the exhibit, Ellen Sieber, Curator of Collections at the Mather Museum, and Suzanne
Ingalsbe, IU graduate student in English, collaborated in organizing the
exhibit. Artifacts in the exhibit include a Tibetan religious plaque
featuring six symbols of good
fortune and African baskets, bags, and pots from many areas of the
continent.
The Ones that Got Away: Victorian Women Travel Writers will
be on exhibit at the Mathers Museum
through
May 17.
The Mathers Museum of World Cultures is located at 416 North Indiana
Avenue, Bloomington. Its exhibit hall and Museum Store are open Tuesdays
through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, from
1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free.
Metered and IU Permit parking is available at the McCalla School parking
lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. Parking is available
on surrounding streets during the weekend.
An access ramp is located at the corner of Ninth Street and Fess
Avenue, at the entrance to the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology
adjoining the Mathers Museum. Reserved parking spaces are available on
Ninth Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a
disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to
accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-1696 for assistance.
For more information, or to schedule a guided group tour, please call
812-855-6873 or e-mail mathers@indiana.edu.
