In this Book
- The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Syracuse University Press
summary
"Bridget" was the Irish immigrant servant girl who worked in American homes from the second half of the nineteenth century into the early years of the twentieth. She is widely known as a pop culture cliché: the young girl who wreaked havoc in middle-class American homes. Now, in the first book-length treatment of the topic, Margaret Lynch-Brennan tells the real story of such Irish domestic servants, providing a richly detailed portrait of their lives and experiences. Drawing on personal correspondence and other primary sources, Lynch-Brennan gives voice to these young Irish women and celebrates their untold contribution to the ethnic history of the United States. In addition, recognizing the interest of scholars in contemporary domestic service, she devotes one chapter to comparing "Bridget’s" experience to that of other ethnic women over time in domestic service in America.
Table of Contents
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- Illustrations
- p. ix
- Introduction
- pp. xvii-xxii
- 1. Home Life in Ireland
- pp. 1-21
- 2. From Ireland
- pp. 22-39
- 3. To America
- pp. 40-59
- 5. The Work World of the Irish Bridget
- pp. 84-120
- 6. The Social World of the Irish Bridget
- pp. 121-150
- 7. Was Bridget’s Experience Unique?
- pp. 151-176
- Works Cited
- pp. 185-208
Additional Information
ISBN
9780815652670
Related ISBN(s)
9780815633549
MARC Record
OCLC
880148153
Pages
264
Launched on MUSE
2015-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No