“My skirts are clear,” Writes Susan B. Anthony to a Woman Who Had Purchased Some of Her Books, Likely Including “The History of Woman Suffrage”

It is interesting that she was personally sending out her books to women nationwide

The History of Woman Suffrage is a set of books that was produced by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton, and others associated with the women’s rights movement. Published in six volumes from 1881 to 1922, it is a history of the movement, primarily in the United States. Its more than 5700 pages are the major source for primary documentation about the women’s suffrage movement from its beginnings through the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which enfranchised women in the U.S. in 1920. It was written from the viewpoint of the wing of the movement led by Anthony and Stanton. Volume 4 of the set was published in 1902. Anthony also wrote other books over the course of her career.

This letter refers to books that Anthony had published, which a woman in Connecticut had ordered directly from Anthony. Considering that Volume 4 of The History of Woman Suffrage was published not long before this letter, we would conjecture that this was one of the books involved. The books had arrived at their pick up point at an express company, and Anthony had been so notified by the delivery location. So she wrote a letter to the purchaser informing her and enclosing the express company’s notice. But the woman had already written Anthony that she knew they had been delivered to the express company location but had not picked them up, which plainly irritated Anthony. Anthony told the woman to pick up the books.

Typed Letter Signed, on National American Woman Suffrage Association letterhead, Rochester, N.Y., March 9, 1904, to Susan Thurston Cooper in Stamford Connecticut, saying she is no longer responsible for the books now that they have arrived. “My Dear Friend – Enclosed is the Adam’s Express Co.’s notice that your books are at their office in Stamford. And then I have received your letter saying that you had been notified that the books were there and had not called for them. Now you should either call for the books or else notify the Company to keep them until you did call, for my skirts are clear now the books are at the office and you have been notified. So I shall leave it to you to see about. Sincerely yours, Susan B. Anthony.”

An interesting letter about Anthony’s books, with use of the phrase “my skirts are clear” to connote that she had done all she could and was no longer responsible for the books.