Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Reading - 18C American Woman & Grandchildren with a Book

1783 Charles Willson Peale (American artist, 1741-1827) The Artist's Mother, Mrs. Charles Peale, and Her Grandchildren

Children often were considered ready for further educational instruction outside the home once they had mastered reading the Bible, but not before then. Fathers &/or grammar schools typically taught boys to write, a job-related skill not deemed essential for girls. Thus a typical colonial girl & boy could both read, but often only the boy could also write.