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Queen's College in London's Harley Street was founded in 1848 by Frederick Denison Maurice. Together with other professors from King's College London he began the venture for the education of middle-class girls, which was "greeted with prejudice and ridicule." Originally planned as an institution for training governesses, it was decided at the first meeting of the committee to admit other girls and young women to its lectures. However, although the college was designed for women it was administered by men. Unlike other girls' schools in the middle of the century which were managed by governing bodies (St. Mary's Hall, Brighton) or a central council (the Girls' Public Day School Company) the government of Queen's College was a male dominated hierarchy of Council, Committee of Education, both of which were entirely male and the Lady Visitors who sat at the back of classes and whose maximum influence (officially) was in the form of written advice to the Education Committee. Yet by 1950 the Council consisted of eight women (including the principal, Miss Kynaston), and five men. In this article, the author suggests that the role of the Lady Visitor is one which should be reconsidered, and awarded more significance in the history of women's educational administration, by tracing the gradual incursion of women from the periphery to the centre of administration at Queen's College. The author argues that they managed this by using a rhetoric of social maternalism within a rigidly patriarchal environment. (Contains 32 notes.)

Explores the genre of the adolescent girl career novel, specifically limited to 1950s Great Britain. Addresses the dual role of women during the 1950s that focused on the pursuit of a career and domesticity. Examines how the career novel negotiated dilemmas facing young women leaving school. (CMK)

Issues discussed concern the education of middle-class girls in late 19th and early 20th-century England, focusing on the educational policies of the Girls' Day School Trust. Topics addressed include the modernization of education for girls, the balance between domestic and academic studies, and the Victorian ideal of womanhood.

The article highlights the significance of sociability in the activities of the British and International Federations of University Women in the long 1950s. Much of the activity centred on Crosby Hall, the ‘International Clubhouse’ in London for overseas and British graduate women. Ideas of cosmopolitanism and sociability can be traced back to the Enlightenment. The article draws on Glick Schiller et al.'s discussion of cosmopolitan sociability in a transnational age, and suggests that a gendered and historical perspective highlights the significance of events which might appear somewhat marginal compared with more formal political activities. Both Noah Sobe and Thomas Popkewitz have recently highlighted the exclusionary, as well as the inclusive, possibilities of cosmopolitanism. The nature, preparation and importance placed on social events in local, national and international networks demonstrates the centrality of the social in promoting the successful outcome of the more formal activities of the Federations on the public stage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses various papers published in this issue including one by Fink and Tinkler on sexual vulnerability of teenage girls on film, oneby Edwards on rural femininity and one by McCarthy on women employees.