Transgender Children in Antebellum America, 1776-1861, by Jen Manion

Arts and Culture

Identities

Science, Medicine, and Health

Social Life and Community

Transgender

This exhibit, published originally on OutHistory in 2014, explores a series of stories published in children’s books and magazines in antebellum America. Some portray children being punished for transgressing gender roles, others expose the range of traits, actions, habits, and expressions that were associated with masculinity or femininity. For contemporary readers interested in the history of gender, these stories provide rich accounts of the possible ways that people could live across or between genders.

1800s

1600s-1700s

Manion, Jen

Nelson, Lucy

Leslie, Eliza

Bedlow, Billy

Massachusetts

Worcester, MA

transgenderchildrenantebellum