Explore how women from the late 19th and early 20th centuries answered the question: "What is 'dangerous' for women to read?"

Women were central in the struggle over books and censorship in turn of the century New York. As the city's first librarians, they built an extensive free lending system, while also attempting to influence what New Yorkers read. Christian reformers sought to censor and replace what they viewed as immoral books and newspapers. Yet others resisted, circulating literature that challenged gender norms, informed women about contraception, and contested harmful representations of Black Americans. Some advocates even left the country in search of freer networks.

Printed newsletters, books, photographs, and ephemera explore how women from the late 19th and early 20th centuries answered the question: "What is 'dangerous' for women to read?" Curated by Hope McCaffrey and Caitlin O'Keefe, Mellon Foundation predoctoral awardees in women's history and public history.

Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.