Drawing Conclusions

Abstract

The historic differences between institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom caused universities to approach change in a variety of ways. Particularly in Britain’s ancient universities, tradition and precedent were major obstacles to the new, more egalitarian views that emerged in the nineteenth century. In the United States, social democracy mixed with economic necessity propelled increased access to universities for various sections of society, though this did not come with the same conflict to tradition. What was common was the desire for all universities to be respected by society and their competitors, and the inclusion of women was thought to cause doubt about an institution’s reputation and the potential for” the ‘feminization’ of the university.”¹ Furthermore, the reputation of the female students needed to be protected at all costs. There were” numerous evils” and” anticipations of disaster” predicted by officials, commentators, and students alike, with most fears centering on having men and women in the same classrooms.² Some colleges and universities felt it was prudent to keep the sexes apart and control the materials women learned. Even in London, the first of the English universities to admit women to degrees, significant differences existed between the experience of women at King’s College and University College. As pictured on the previous page,” the daring experiment of mixed classes of men and women” included life drawing of a scantily clad subject.³ The” Life Class” at King’s College, on the other hand, had students draw and paint” models in costume” and was for women only.⁴