Imagination and History: Glamour and Geology

“Imagination and History: Glamour and Geology” introduces the major themes and topics in the book. The concept of the female geologist changes from the Victorian period to the World War II period and beyond. Geology was considered an acceptable form of education for women in the Victorian era, contributing to the notion of the “accomplished woman.” The identity of female geologists changed during World Wars I and II, as women were utilized in the war effort in the search for petroleum. Women like Augusta Kemp helped transition the new working woman geologist in the field, as Kemp was one of the last Victorian-era geologists and a transition point into the professional female geologist. Newspapers and other forms of media promoted the notion of the glamourized working women geologist in the petroleum industry during World War II, which continued after the war concluded. The glamourized female geologist continued into the postwar era, but the notion of glamour changed over time. Wartime glamour profiles stressed scientific training, ultrafemininity, and commitment to family life. Profiles changed as cultural and political values changed with the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, and attempts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Profiles of female geologist contained some accounts of their struggles within the job and as women, but those accounts expanded into more complex criticisms as cultural and political movements unfolded later in the twentieth century.