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About Alice Gerstenberg
About Alice Gerstenberg
General biographical information on Gerstenberg can be found on Wikipedia and Encyclopedia.com
See this page by New York's Metropolitan Playhouse, published in connection with their recent production of another Gerstenberg play, Ever Young.
Theater historian Stuart Hecht argues that Gerstenberg "has received praise as an early advocate of women's issues ... While such recognition is deserved it is also distorted, emphasizing as it does Gerstenberg's initiative while overlooking the limitations of her vision. ... Hers was a transitional life, bridging as it did the cultural and social concerns of the Victorian with that of the modern. In many respects Gerstenberg anticipated many concerns of future generations. However, at heart she remained entrenched in the values and biases of an earlier age."
Click here to read Hecht's article about Gerstenberg's drama, which includes some discussion of Overtones.
About Overtones:
About Overtones:
Written in 1913, and first performed in November 1915 by the Washington Square Players, a pioneering off-Broadway "little theater" at the forefront of the American Little Theatre Movement.
Toured on the vaudeville circuit, including engagements in Chicago and London.
Expanded three-act version, with additional characters, opened in Chicago in 1922.
Further reading:
Further reading:
Here is Encyclopedia.com's overview of Overtones.
For a detailed, scholarly analysis of the play, see "Alice Gersenberg's Overtones: the Demon and the Doll," by Mary Maddock. Maddock argues:
"Overtones may show women acting in predictable patriarchal stereotypes, but because it exposes the roots of such behaviour in women's inferior social status and in their distance from centers of power, it serves as an important indictment of society."
Etiquette for the "Morning Call"
Etiquette for the "Morning Call"
The meeting between the "cultured" women Harriet and Margaret is the type of morning social call common in high society, and strictly regulated by rules of etiquette. Harriet and Margaret struggle to maintain the appropriate deportment and manners for the situation, while Hetty and Maggie feel no such restraint.
To get a sense of how strictly society regulated women's public behavior, read these chapters from The Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Florence Hartley:
Note: Hartley's manual was originally published in 1860, and is illustrative of social codes and expectations that persisted well into the 20th Century.
Historical and Social Context
Historical and Social Context
Written in 1913, and first performed in 1915, Overtones originates during the period of "first wave feminism" in the United States. A recent Vox.com article defines "first wave feminism" as "the West’s first sustained political movement dedicated to achieving political equality for women: the suffragettes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Feminism's "first wave" was mostly focused on the movement for women's suffrage (which was achieved in 1920, with the passage of the 19th amendment), but also included activism on issues such as contraception, access to education and health care, and securing opportunities for employment, property ownership, and participation in public life.
This page from The Gender Press offers a useful overview of the history of feminist movements in the United States.
Here is a summary of first-wave feminism from The History Channel, along with a photo gallery.
Important events coinciding with Overtones:
1913: the Woman's Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., organized and led by Alice Paul
1916: Margaret Sanger opens first birth control clinics in the United States
1918: Marie Stopes publishes the novel Married Love, arguing for the importance of women’s sexual desire.
1920: Passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote for all women in the United States.
To what extent does Overtones reflect these political and social developments in the lives of women? To what extent does the play sidestep or ignore them?
To what extent does Overtones reflect these political and social developments in the lives of women? To what extent does the play sidestep or ignore them?
Automobile Ownership in 1915
Automobile Ownership in 1915
Some context for Hettie's insistence that Harriet mention their automobile to Margaret:
Only about 5% of households in the United States owned an automobile in 1915. Car ownership would start its rapid expansion in the US in the 1920s. Ford Motor Company had introduced its "Model T" - the first car to be mass produced and affordable for a mass audience - in 1908, but it was slow to catch on among most working class and middle class households.
In 1915, the median household income in the US was $687. The average cost of a new automobile was more than $2,000. The Model-T Ford was the most affordable option, and ranged from $390-$1590 depending on the model.
Beyond the cost, owning and driving an automobile in 1915 were largely upper-class activities because life was not built around cars like it is today. There were few places beyond a few of the largest cities where one could drive on paved or well maintained roads. Cities and towns were not laid out for commuting by car. It was difficult and expensive to get gasoline. So if you owned a car, it was because you had money to spare and the leisure time to make use of it--as Margaret makes sure to emphasize when describing how her chauffeur (luxury on top of luxury) drove her to the bakery and the department store.
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