A Tapestry of Lives: Cape Women of the 17th Century

Cape Women of the 17th Century

Plot

The women who lived in the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century come to life in this series of portraits of extraordinary frontier females. While war, fearful animals, slavery, and the stern policies of the East India Company obliged these women to develop hardy constitutions, demand by a vastly larger male population granted them a peculiar role as both lovers and survivors in the frontier culture: as their menfolk succumbed to lion attacks and illness, they often found themselves moving between several husbands and households. Women from all walks of life, including the native Khoekhoe, Dutch governors' wives, peasant farmers, innkeepers, and prostitutes are detailed in this historical panorama, providing invaluable information for women's studies and South African history.