The Exploress

Guests involved in the Spiritualist movement in Victorian America discuss the rise of spiritualism, the connection between invention and spirit communication, the impact of spiritualism on women, and the fascinating life of Cora, a renowned medium in the 19th century.

Season 1, Episode 7. 19th-century women weren't supposed to be devious - and that's what made them such effective spies. Hundreds of women tied gun parts to their crinolines, baked quinine into bread loaves, hid generals in their attics, and made daring midnight rides for their cause. In this episode, we follow four of them: Union ladies Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Jane Bowser and Confederate dames Rose O'Neal Greenhow and Bell Boyd. They flirted, tricked, and cajoled the men around them, using their prejudice about a woman's place to achieve outrageous feats of courage and ingenuity. You won't believe what they did, and what they risked, to do their part for the conflict raging all around them.

Season 1, Episode 6. Franklin Thompson did it all as a Civil War soldier: spied, rode, nursed, and fought. And during his service, almost no one knew his secret: that he was really Sarah Emma Edmonds in disguise. Emma left home in Canada at 17 to escape a life she didn't want, living as a man so she could make her own way in the world. When the American Civil War came, she felt called to join up and fight for the Union. She had many adventures as a soldier and spy, then went on to write a best-selling book about it all. Twenty years later, she fought another kind of battle: one for a soldier's pension, becoming one of the first women to be granted one. Let's explore the life and adventurous times of this fascinating unsung hero.

Season 1, Episode 5. When we think of a Civil War soldier, it's a man we see. But there were women out there on the battlefield, too - hundreds of them - fighting and dying for their cause. Let's travel back into the life of a secret lady soldier to find out why they joined, how they hid their identities, what they faced out in the field, how they were caught and what happened when they were. We'll explore their legacy and impact in their era and how they were almost completely written out of our history books.

Explore the lives and experiences of 19th-century women in America, including the societal expectations of prostitutes and everyday women. Discover the standards of behavior imposed on women, the Victorian era's attitudes towards self-induced sexual pleasure, and the challenges of pregnancy prevention and termination. Learn about the impact of the Civil War on women's sex lives, the portrayal of women in literature, and the portrayal of women in 19th-century American army camps.

Season 1, Episode 3. She was many things: A celebrated teacher, a pioneering civil servant, a battlefield nurse, a public speaker, and a leader of many initiatives, including the American Red Cross. In a time when single, middle-class women didn't have all that many career options, Clara Barton went ahead and had, oh, let's call it five different careers. This dynamo was a woman of many contradictions: she was incredibly shy, but also brazen in her pursuit of her goals; she was anxious and insecure, but also sure and steady. This "Angel of the Battlefield" was a whole lot more dynamic, and more complicated, than you think. Let's reexamine the life of this fascinating character.

Join us as we explore the life, trials, and triumphs of a Civil War nurse. Explore the prevailing theories of disease, lack of cleanliness, and limited medical training during the Civil War. Learn about the extreme and toxic medical treatments used, as well as the rise of homeopathy as a natural alternative. Discover the challenges faced by women in the medical field throughout history and the discrimination faced by women nurses during the Civil War. Highlighting the role of women nurses and their compassionate care for wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Explore the resilience and impact of women nurses after the war and their contribution to the Women's Rights Movement.

In this podcast, we delve into the lives of women in mid-19th century America. We explore topics such as the limitations placed on women, the history of toilets and bathing practices, the challenges women faced when going to church, societal expectations and limitations, the causes and motivations behind the Civil War, and the experiences of Civil War nurses in the 19th century.

Time traveling through women's history, one era at a time.