Women's Studies: Biographical Resources

An extensive Gale database that provides brief biographical information--much of it coming from valuable Gale reference books. Although you may search by Occupation, Nationality, Birth Place or Death Place, you will primarily search by a woman's name. Results include news, magazines, videos and often academic journals, as well as reference book content. Images and website links are also often provided. This database is a good place to get a basic biography about anyone from Murasaki Shikibu to Katy Perry. Want more reference book bios online? Click the i symbol just above.

"In 1969, a group of women and men of Seneca Falls created the National Women's Hall of Fame, believing that the contribution of American women deserved a permanent home in the small village where it all began." The Hall's website presents short biographies of its inductees. So, this is another source for basic biography information on notable American women. Use the search engine, or browse surnames by clicking on a letter. Entries usually include a picture and a list of suggested readings about the subject.

Don't expect lengthy biographical information at this website, which is part of the Nobel Prize Internet Archive. Still, it provides a handy list of women who have won Nobel Prizes, organized by field and year. When you click on a name you get brief information on their award, and often links to other pages on each woman. Once you have the person you're interested in, you'd be better served in Biography in Context above, or one of our other databases.

Created and maintained by the Office of the Clerk
U.S. Capitol, this nice website looks exclusively at women in the Senate and House. Besides member profiles, there are also artifacts, historical data and other educational materials.

Although this Stanford Law School website started with information on a single pioneer--Clara Shortridge Foltz (1849-1934), who was the first woman to be a lawyer on the Pacific Coast (California, 1878)--it has since added a very extensive Women Lawyers Index, which provides information and links on scores of important trailblazing women in the law. Click "WLH Biographical Project" to search all the biographies.

The Kapralova Society provides this webpage, which admits that it is by "no means the ultimate database of women composers. In fact, this list represents only a tiny fraction of more than 6000 women composers about whom a record exists (e.g. Aaron Cohen's Encyclopedia of Women Composers lists 6,196 women composers). Only composers of classical music whose works have been recorded on compact disc have been included in this database. Composers are listed in alphabetical order; their name is followed by their date of birth and country of origin. Where a link to online resources exists it has also been provided."

(PRINT: REF HQ 1115 .W6 1999)
This massive 17 volume set provides short signed biographical essays on significant women from around the world and across the ages. Entries include a short bibliography of further suggested readings.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Alexander Street Press)
This well-respected 3 volume set was "prepared under the auspices of Radcliffe College." It is updated by the below volumes.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Alexander Street Press)
This volume, The Modern Period, represents 442 women who died between 1951 and 1975. Women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Josephine Baker and Margaret Sanger are included.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Alexander Street Press)
The latest in the series contains biographical sketches of 483 women who died between 1976 and 1999, and follows the series' goal "to uncover and document women's contributions to politics and culture during historical periods when their significance was generally unrecognized by the society at large."

(PRINT: REF E 185.86 .B542 1993 / See Also Link in Library Catalog for Online. Content of the Later 2005 Edition is included in Oxford African American Studies Center)
A comprehensive picture of Black women in America, from 17th-century slave women to contemporary television personalities. The more than 800 signed entries include both biographical essays on individual women and broad topical essays on such subjects as slavery, religion, civil rights, the law, physicians, and education, which provide in-depth treatment of major contributions of Black women to American life and culture.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Gale) This is just one volume in the Dictionary of Literary Biography. There are several others covering women authors. Go to DLB Complete Online to explore all volumes electronically.

(PRINT: REF CT 3203 .G57 1992)
This small volume aims to provide brief biography capsules on women, world-wide, not readily found in other sources.

(PRINT: REF HQ 1115 .L37 1996)
Very brief biographies, some with photos. Strong in British and Commonwealth subjects.

(PRINT: REF HQ1412 .F46 2006)
Main entries focus on biographies of individuals; organizations and events of the period are addressed as they relate to the individual biographies. Additionally, the work emphasizes primary sources, so this resource goes beyond simple short biographical entries.

(PRINT: REF HQ 1115 .W644 2006)
This two volume set updates some of our older women's movement resources. Volume One is a standard A-Z presentation. Volume Two reprints primary documents. The readings are good ones, but many of the contributors (like bell hooks) are actually "second wave" and not third.

(ONLINE ONLY: via eBrary)
The 75 entries range from early explorers (Isabella Bishop) to modern role models (Mae Carol Jemison), women who demonstrate "shared characteristics of going beyond what was expected, either by their era or gender or both." Organized alphabetically by name, entries include the years each woman lived, her nationality, and her field, followed by two- to three-page profiles

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Gale Virtual Reference Library)
The equivalent of a four volume set, this GVRL resource provides biographical and critical essays on over 1300 American women writers covering all genres and all periods of American history.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Gale Virtual Reference Library)
This six "volume" set provides both overviews and specific bio-critical resources on individual authors, both herstorical and contemporary. Entries include biography, bibliography, and selections of primary and secondary sources.

(PRINT: REF PR111 .B57 1990)
While a few entries discuss themes (like "Abolition"), this volume primarily provides short entries on individual authors.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via Gale eBook Library)
Although the entries are short, this book does include many authors up to the late 20th century. Includes separate entries on major works, too.

(ONLINE ONLY: Via eBrary)
58 women writers are featured. Most of the signed, well-written entries run five to nine pages long. Information is arranged in four sections: "Biography," "Major Works and Themes," "Critical Reception," and "Bibliography."

(PRINT: REF N8354 .D53 1997)
This two-volume biographical dictionary covers women artists working in the Western tradition from the Middle Ages through the mid-20th century. Each of the 600 entries provides biographical information, a list of exhibitions, a bibliography, a signed essay by a specialist, and, in most cases, a black-and-white illustration

(ONLINE ONLY: Via ABC-CLIO eBooks)
"This biographical dictionary gives new recognition to early women orators--those who spoke despite efforts to silence them."