In Haste, Grace

Letters of a Victorian School Girl

Grace Nebeker was spoiled! No doubt about it, but she was also a winsome bundle of contradictions. Her letters written between 1884-1887, while she was a student at Glendale Female College paint a charming, but revealing portrait of a young woman struggling to carve out her own unique identity. These were written at a time when womens role in society was narrowly prescribed by the Victorian Era. She had definite opinions about everything from family and friends to religion and politics. She considered herself to be a lady, yet she was capable of being a bit of a hoyden. She had a love/hate relationship with her college. Her relationship with Annie Davidson, her roommate, was complex and competitive. Possibly, in terms of contemporary psychology, Grace could be described as passive-aggressive. She, herself, wrote that she knew how to get around people. Her syntax, grammar and spelling were not always correct and there were times when, according to our contemporary thinking, she was not politically correct. One thing is certain, once you have met her you will not forget her.