Bedbugs, Boarders, and Beefs: The Business of Boardinghouse Keeping in 19th-Century America

In honor of Women’s History Month, METC presents this lecture on the history of women’s work as boardinghouse keepers and why popular culture often portrayed them less than positively. From ravenous bedbugs to penny-pinching landladies, from disreputable housemates to “boarder’s beef,” this lecture illuminates the annoyances—and the satisfactions—of nineteenth-century boarding life. Presented by Dr. Wendy Gamber, Department of History, Indiana University. This is a virtual lecture over zoom and pre-registration is required. Please register here.