Abstract
The idea that female scribes – probably members of the middle or upper-classes – made manuscript recipe books for a fee, without being part of the owner’s family, has been discussed in English- and German-language countries for several years. The tradition of making manuscript recipe books for weddings and other important dates in the life of a woman justifies the idea that money was spent to provide such a present, for example, if time was scarce. If the owner did not want to make the effort to write the book on their own, a professional scribe was commissioned to carry out the task for them. In doing so, a personalised book could be made, that was probably more expensive than a printed book, but exclusive and tailored to the customer’s wishes. Three Austrian manuscripts examined in this study serve as a first attempt to reflect about the possibility of female scribes, drawing on examples of women working as paid and unpaid copyists and scribes in the eighteenth-century. One of the volumes gives clear evidence of a professional female scribe penning the book, either for a customer or herself, and the other two imply that professionals had been commissioned.
Highlights
Helga MüllneritschI aim to explore the idea that women were professionally involved in the making of manuscript recipe books, and show that the lack of archival or bibliographical material concerning female employment does not necessarily prove that women did not work in this area.[1]
The idea that female scribes – probably members of the middle or upper-classes – made manuscript recipe books for a fee, without being part of the owner’s family, has been discussed in English- and German-language countries for several years
I aim to explore the idea that women were professionally involved in the making of manuscript recipe books, and show that the lack of archival or bibliographical material concerning female employment does not necessarily prove that women did not work in this area.[1]
Summary
I aim to explore the idea that women were professionally involved in the making of manuscript recipe books, and show that the lack of archival or bibliographical material concerning female employment does not necessarily prove that women did not work in this area.[1]. Research on manuscript recipe books, as well as the connection of domestic manuscripts to society, is still at the beginning
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