Jeannette Howard Foster
Encyclopedia
Jeannette Howard Foster (November 3, 1895 - July 26, 1981) was a researcher in the field of lesbian literature
. She pioneered the study of popular fiction and ephemera in order to excavate lesbian themes both overt and covert, and her years of pioneering data collection culminated in her 1956 study Sex Variant Women in Literature, which has become a seminal resource in gay studies. Initially self-published by Foster via Vantage Press, it was photoduplicated and reissued in 1975 by Diana Press and reissued in 1985 by Naiad Press
with updating additions and commentary by Barbara Grier
.
, daughter of mechanical engineer Winslow Howard Foster (b. January 10, 1869) and Anna Mabel Burr, Foster earned a Ph.D. at the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago. She taught library science at the Drexel Institute of Technology
from 1937-1948. She was librarian at the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University
during the years 1948 to 1952 where she worked with Alfred Kinsey
. She eventually retired to Pocahontas, Arkansas
with two other women. Howard was the recipient of the 1974 Stonewall Book Award
for Sex Variant Women in Literature.
She lived long enough to see her 1956 book hailed as a founding document of a new area of scholarship.
In 2008, the first biography of Foster, Sex Variant Woman by Joanne Passet, was published.
Lesbian literature
This is a list of books portraying sexual relations between female characters, who may include lesbians, bisexuals and WSWs.-Classic fiction and drama:*The Bachelor Girl – Victor Margueritte –...
. She pioneered the study of popular fiction and ephemera in order to excavate lesbian themes both overt and covert, and her years of pioneering data collection culminated in her 1956 study Sex Variant Women in Literature, which has become a seminal resource in gay studies. Initially self-published by Foster via Vantage Press, it was photoduplicated and reissued in 1975 by Diana Press and reissued in 1985 by Naiad Press
Naiad press
Naiad Press was one of the first publishing companies dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world.-History:...
with updating additions and commentary by Barbara Grier
Barbara Grier
Barbara Grier was an American writer and publisher most widely known for co-founding Naiad Press and writing and editing The Ladder under the pseudonym Gene Damon.-Early life:...
.
Biography
Born in Oak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, daughter of mechanical engineer Winslow Howard Foster (b. January 10, 1869) and Anna Mabel Burr, Foster earned a Ph.D. at the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago. She taught library science at the Drexel Institute of Technology
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
from 1937-1948. She was librarian at the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
during the years 1948 to 1952 where she worked with Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology, who in 1947 founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as producing the Kinsey Reports and the Kinsey...
. She eventually retired to Pocahontas, Arkansas
Pocahontas, Arkansas
Pocahontas is a city in Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, its population of the city is 6,765. The city is the county seat of Randolph County....
with two other women. Howard was the recipient of the 1974 Stonewall Book Award
Stonewall Book Award
Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association , the Stonewall Book Award is for LGBT books...
for Sex Variant Women in Literature.
She lived long enough to see her 1956 book hailed as a founding document of a new area of scholarship.
In 2008, the first biography of Foster, Sex Variant Woman by Joanne Passet, was published.