The Bluestocking society was an informal women's social and educational movement that came into being in England in the mid-eighteenth century in imitation of a similar - though more formal - movement in France. // The Unobservable Although the term social is a crucial category in social science and often used in public discourse, its meaning is often vague, suggesting that it is a fuzzy concept. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

The most striking difference between the two movements was the English emphasis on education and mutual co-operation as opposed to the French emphasis on social "networking" and individual social progress.

English members included:

• Ada Byron Lovelace
• Mrs Delaney, constant companion of Margaret Cavendish-Harley
• Margaret Cavendish-Harley
• Elizabeth Carter

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (December 10, 1815 - November 27, 1852) is mainly known for having written a description of Charles Babbages early mechanical general_purpose computer, the analytical engine. ... Margaret Cavendish-Harley Margaret Cavendish-Harley (February 11, 1715, Welbeck Abbey - July 17, 1785, Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire), was the richest woman in the Kingdom of Great Britain at her time. ... Elizabeth Carter (1717 - 1806) was a miscellaneous writer, born at Deal, daughter of a clergyman. ...

History of the origin of the group and its name

In the early 1750s Mrs Elizabeth Montagu and others started a women's literary discussion group, a revolutionary step away from traditional mindless women's activities. They invited various people to attend, including a botanist, translator and publisher called Benjamin Stillingfleet. He wasn't rich enough to have the proper formal dress which included black silk stockings. So he attended in his normal clothes, wearing blue worsted stockings. Elizabeth Montagu (1720 - 1800), was an English literary critic. ... Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. ... A pair of dark grey nylon stockings. ... Worsted is the name of both a yarn, usually made from wool, and the cloth made from this yarn. ...

This started a trend. The husband of one of the group members was Admiral Edward Boscawen, and he derisively referred to the meetings as the "Blue-Stocking Society". Edward Boscawen (August 10, 1711 - January 10, 1761) was a British (Cornish) admiral. ...

"Bluestocking" then became a term to describe literary/intellectual women.

Other uses

Japan

There was also a Japanese women's magazine following the Meiji Restoration that referred to itself as Bluestockings (Seitô). The magazine, known as the BlueStockings Journal, initially focused on women's literature, but turned into a magazine devoted to achieving women's liberation. The women doing the writing in the magazine were called New Women. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... The First Issue of Seito, published in September 1911 Bluestockings Journal (Seitô-sha) was a Japanese feminist magazine founded in 1911 by Raicho Hiratsuka. ... The New Woman was a feminist ideal which emerged in the final decades of the 19th century in Europe and North America as a reaction to the role, as characterized by the so-called Cult of Domesticity, ascribed to women in the Victorian era. ...

Pejorative

The term blue-stocking was used in the nineteenth century as a pejorative for authoresses and their female fans - at a time in which ladies' dresses reached to the floor, hence their stockings would not be visible, blue or otherwise. The explanation is that the name is derived from another learned coterie, formed in the 15th century, in Venice, who wore blue stockings as a badge. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia) is the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ...

External links

• Bluestocking Consulting A full-service mangement, business and political consulting firm helping communities prosper through the election of passionate candidates, through community branding, marketing and through effective business retention.
• Details on origin of term at World Wide Words
• Bluestocking Archive
• Bluestocking Books Bluestocking Books, independent bookstore, Hillcrest, San Diego, California.
• Bluestockings Bluestockings. A fair trade cafe, and activist center in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY, NY.
• Bluestocking Consulting A grantwriting firm that assists non-profits in Austin, TX.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Nuttall Encyclopædia is an early-20th-century encyclopedia, edited by Rev. ...