Approaching Activism Through Fiction: The Case of Cécile de Jong van Beek en Donk and the 'Nieuw
- Victoria McIntyre
- Apr 25, 2017
- 4 min read
The fourth in a series: On my introduction to Dutch feminism at ATRIA, the de Jong van Beek en Donk sisters and the turn o' the century 'Nieuwe Vrouw' movement.
A 'Nieuwe Vrouw' with her bicycle (sourced).
An event from last week railroaded my intended topic for this post, but I thought it best to get my thoughts down straight away and share this with you! I was invited by Suzan van Dijk to attend an afternoon of lectures at the ATRIA: Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History last Friday in Amsterdam. It was a great day and (as every second of it was spoken in Dutch) it presented an inescapable opportunity for me to be literally 'immersed' in the experience. Luckily enough, Suzan was there to lend a helping hand and deciphered the fast-talking academics for me.
The keynote lecture was by Elisabeth Leijnse, winner of the Libris Geschiedenis Prijs and author of the recently published book: Cécile en Elsa, Strijdbare Freules: Een Biografie. The themes of Leijnse’s book formed the bulk of her presentation; a study of two sisters, Cécile and Elsa (Elisabeth) de Jong van Beek en Donk (I was amazed by the surname, but now find it quite manageable!) born in the Netherlands in 1866 and 1868. Both women can be found in the NEWW database (Cécile and Elsa) as both were prolific writers in their own right.
Cécile was one of several famous late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Dutch feminists known throughout Europe at the time for her novel, Hilda van Suylenburg. This didactic novel told the story of the heroine, Hilda (not unlike Cécile’s sister, Elsa), who was unexpectedly removed from her politico-culturo-artistico upbringing by a death in the family, and was forced to face the realities of ‘salon life’ and domesticity in The Hague. Soon, she became bored, and - motivated by a ‘doctores’ friend - began her studies in Law. Fast-forward a few years and, in a happily-ever-after ending that would rival Walt Disney, Hilda became a successful lawyer, with a wee bairn and a husband who supported women’s emancipation in tow. The novel highlighted a question that stalks working women today: Is employment compatible with motherhood? Can women give their all to both? Cécile de Jong van Beek en Donk said yes, women can - and should - for the sake of being 'good citizens'.
Cécile and Elsa de Jong van Beek en Donk (sourced).
Elisabeth Leijnse described the parallels in Hilda van Suylenburg with the real-life activism of both sisters and other emancipation-driven fin de siècle women. The term for this movement was the ‘Nieuwe Vrouw’ (New Woman). As Leijnse noted, ‘feminist’ was still somewhat of a dirty word then (ah, how things have changed). The typical ‘Nieuwe Vrouw’ was emotionally strong, university educated, sportive (a cyclist, of course) and contrasted drastically with the tightly-corseted, fashion-obsessed and “een beetje anorexisch” female archetype of previous decades.
One of Cécile and Elsa’s forays into the realm of the ‘Nieuwe Vrouw’ was their opposition to the fashion industry. The sisters preferred simple, practical dresses and were vocal against the inhumane killing of ostriches, in France and the United States in particular, for feathers to be used as hat decorations (see below). They were also firm advocates of working women, to the extent that they organised the Nationale Tentoonstelling van Vrouwenarbeid (The National Exhibition of Women's Work) in 1898 in The Hague. I should mention here that this exhibition was financed by Cécile's exceedingly wealthy first husband, Adriaan Goekoop.
Taking this unhappy - but financially secure relationship - as an example, it is unavoidable to notice similarities with my last post's ‘private sphere’ argument. The quality of a woman's marriage determined the boundaries of her freedom. Through a warped pseudo-independence provided by men, certain women maintained their access to activism.
Elisabeth Leijnse's lecture on the de Jong van Beek en Donk sisters and the ‘Nieuwe Vrouw’ reminded me of another woman mentioned in the VRE, who I became familiar with after my first visit to Kasteel de Haar. Born in 1863, Hélène Betty Louise Caroline van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar (dear god!), formerly Hélène de Rothschild, was a daughter of the famous Jewish-French Rothschild banking family. Hélène was disinherited when she married the Dutch-Catholic Baron, Etienne van Zuylen. They both took great pleasure in the ‘Romeo and Juliet-esque’ origins of their story and romantic imagery is peppered throughout the Gothic Revival castle they renovated together. Notably, Hélène was no wallflower and fully embraced the ‘Nieuwe Vrouw’ movement. Fond of men’s clothing, motor racing and fine French furnishings, Hélène’s status and flexible marriage allowed her to explore sporting and literary pursuits (along with the odd lesbian love-affair or two). Again, providing an example of how some women could stretch the boundaries of their 'private sphere' as long as their husbands were on board.
Hélène van Zuylen in a motorcar (sourced).
The last presentation on Friday was by Lore Goovaerts - winner of ATRIA’s Johanna Naber Prijs for best Master’s thesis in Gender History (Naber was a Dutch feminist and co-founder of ATRIA). Lore Goovaerts’ thesis was entitled, “Het glazen plafond doorbroken? De eerste generatie vrouwelijke hoogleraren aan de UGent, een oral history project” (Breaking the glass ceiling? The first generation of female professors at Ghent University). Thank goodness I understood the title, because (being from Belgium herself) I struggled to keep up with the details of Lore’s arguments. Her conclusion, however, was clear – no, the female alumni of UGent were not able to break the glass ceiling for a multitude of reasons discovered through primary source analysis and interviews with emeritus professors, which Lore conducted herself. Once more, the themes of the 'Nieuwe Vrouw' movement returned: If women wanted to simultaneously be a mother and teach, they had to be capable of facing criticism, sexism and misogyny. But, in the end, were women ever fully accepted by their male colleagues? Were female professors anything more than token novelties for universities?
So, there you have it, my afternoon at ATRIA filled my head with more unanswerable questions and exercised my Dutch language skills to within an inch of my life. Many of the goals of the 'Nieuwe Vrouw' movement were achieved. In the West, most woman today can wear trousers and study what they please without being scoffed at, but when it comes to voicing opinions on women's empowerment... men and women alike still face significant challenges the world over.
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