Saturday Morning Club (Boston, Mass.)

The Saturday Morning Club was founded by Julia Ward Howe in 1871 for her youngest daughter, Maud, and Maud's friends. The Club, whose purpose was "to promote culture and social intercourse", met on Saturday mornings from November through April, alternating between guest lectures and Club discussions of the previous week's topic. Lecturers included Lucy Stone, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Abba Woolson, Annie and James Fields, professors from Harvard University, and many others. (Volume I-10v contains a complete list of lecturers and their topics, and the minutes of the recording secretary include notes on the lectures.) Beginning in 1874 the Club produced plays and sponsored parties with various themes (e.g., Mother Goose, Ancestors, Shakespearean Revels). Presentation of original papers by Club members eventually became the predominant function of the Club, though few of the earlier papers were preserved. Many papers are autobiographical, biographical, or anecdotal, though scholarly topics are covered as well. More complete information on the history of the Club can be found in folder I-1.