Harriet Hemenway
Encyclopedia
Harriet Hemenway was a Boston
socialite
who founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society
.
During the Gilded Age
, it became fashionable for women to wear plume
s in their hats. These plumes came from woodpeckers, bluebirds, owls, herons and warblers, thousands of which were killed each year. In 1896, Hemenway and her cousin Minna Hall contacted the wealthy women of Boston and invited them to join a society for the protection of birds, the Massachusetts Audubon Society
. Nearly 1,000 women joined. The group used its political power to have a Massachusetts law passed in 1897 outlawing trade in wild bird feathers.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
who founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society
Massachusetts Audubon Society
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Protecting the nature of Massachusetts." Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and in fact was founded...
.
During the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
, it became fashionable for women to wear plume
Plume
Plume may refer to:In science:* Plume , the form of effluent in water or emissions in air* Eruption column, or volcanic plume, a column of hot volcanic ash and gas emitted into the atmosphere during an explosive volcanic eruption...
s in their hats. These plumes came from woodpeckers, bluebirds, owls, herons and warblers, thousands of which were killed each year. In 1896, Hemenway and her cousin Minna Hall contacted the wealthy women of Boston and invited them to join a society for the protection of birds, the Massachusetts Audubon Society
Massachusetts Audubon Society
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Protecting the nature of Massachusetts." Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and in fact was founded...
. Nearly 1,000 women joined. The group used its political power to have a Massachusetts law passed in 1897 outlawing trade in wild bird feathers.