History Matters digs into the Delaware Historical Society’s archives each month to explore connections between key people, places, and events in history and present-day news.
"A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform." - Diane Mariechild
In honor of Women’s History month, The March edition of History Matters is a two-part installment featuring the often-overlooked stories of some important Delaware women.
Part 2 features the life of Emily Webb, one of Delaware's first female photographers and one of the founders of the Wilmington S.P.C.A.
Webb was born in 1830 in Wilmington where her father, Benjamin Webb, was a portrait photographer. Emily started as her father's assistant and eventually opened up her own photography studio at 302 Market Street in 1864. Webb held an active and prolific photography career taking over 500,000 photos in just under 20 years. Many of her photographs were labelled "E. Webb" which some speculate was chosen to hide the fact that she was a woman.
Although she was known in the area for her photography, she was even more renown for her animal rights activism. Webb was one of the founding members of Wilmington's chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A) during a time when animal rights weren't as prominent as they are today.
Even though there are no known photographs of the lady once called "The Most Interesting Woman in Wilmington," her legacy in photography, business, and animal rights still lives on to this day.
History Matters: Delaware women part 1: Marjorie Speakman
WDDE looks at the life of Marjorie Speakman, one of Wilmington’s fashion and business authorities. Producer/Videographer/Editor: Ben Szmidt
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This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.