The Acquisitions Table: The Science and Art of Elocution and Oratory

The frontispiece to this elocution text features a rare illustration of a young lady doing physical exercise along with her male colleagues to prepare for speaking. By 1867, female reformers like Lucy Stone had blazed new trails for women as public speakers before mixed audiences of men and women. To reflect this change in social attitude, the compiler included a piece by Lydia Sigourney on why “Ladies should study elocution.”