From Textile Mills to Seventeen Magazine: Exploring the History of American Girlhood through Transcription Center Projects

Far from sitting quietly on the sidelines, American girls have been on the frontlines of political, cultural, and social change. A new signature exhibit, Girlhood (It's complicated), opening at the National Museum of American History on June 12, 2020 as part of the Smithsonian's American Women's History Initiative, explores the diverse and complex stories of girlhood in our nation's history. The exhibit will tour the country through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service from 2023 through 2025.

Skateboard designed by Cindy Whitehead, a member of the skate team Sims in the late 1970s and early 1980s, who continues to be a vocal advocate for women in the sport. Courtesy National Museum of American History, 2019.0092.01.

In collaboration with educators, archivists, and museum collections' staff from across the Smithsonian, we're joining the effort to celebrate and highlight the stories of American girls. Through Transcription Center projects - ongoing and completed - we're inviting volunteers of all ages to help us discover and share a diverse set of experiences and representations of girlhood throughout history, enriching the content and knowledge surrounding the Girlhood (It's complicated) exhibit.

Janice Lowry Diary, 1960-1961, Archives of American Art

Join in by transcribing and exploring diaries, letters, and other materials from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Archives of American Art, and more, created by and for girls from the 19th century to the present day. Completed transcriptions will be used to create educational resources for teachers and students in grades 8-12, as they investigate and learn from the lives and contributions of girls in the United States. As this work develops, we'll be posting updates, information, and additional resources here in the Transcription Center, on social media, and on the Smithsonian Learning Lab. Follow along with us to learn more, and share your own stories, discoveries, and knowledge on American girlhood using the hashtag #BecauseOfHerStory. 

Coordination of girlhood history projects in the Transcription Center (including selection, digitization, cataloging, outreach, and creation of educational resources) was funded by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative. Head to the Transcription Center to learn more and start transcribing!

School Letters from Grace Thorpe to her Mother, 1927-1929,
National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. 

Bat Mitzvah Scrapbook of Sarah Leavitt, c. 1983, National Museum of American History