Mistress of Riversdale: The Plantation Letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, 1795-1821 (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) (Paperback)

by Margaret Law Callcott (Author) "THE STIER FAMILY FLED BELGIUM in the summer of 1794 as the army of Revolutionary France advanced on their native Antwerp..." (more)
Key Phrases: affectionate daughter, affectionate sister, very hard winter, United States, George Calvert, Isabelle van Havre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Rosalie Stier, daughter of a Belgian mercantile family and wife to George Calvert, became mistress of Riversdale, a Maryland plantation near Washington, in 1802. She and her planter husband, a son of Maryland's first family, were prominent in Washington society. Her private correspondence, translated here for the first time from French, provides a detailed and lively account of plantation life and work, business, agriculture, horticulture, politics, and fashionable society, as well as a woman's role in day-to-day family life. Explanatory text and copious notes elucidate the letters. There is little by women on this era, so this is highly recommended for U.S. and women's studies collections.
- Richard Shotwell, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A richer reflection of life in early 19th-century Maryland and the Washington environs cannot be found... These superb letters are enhanced by able editing, both in footnotes and excellent essays at the beginning and end." -- Washington Post Book World

"In 1803 Rosalie [Calvert] began a remarkable correspondence home to her family that continued until her death in 1821. Those extraordinary letters in French, discovered in the family archives in Belgium in the 1970's, triggered the ongoing restoration of the rundown [Riversdale] mansion and in an equally remarkable chronological narrative of the translated letters resulting in a Johns Hopkins University Press book." -- Annapolitan

"Not only can you visit Rosalie's home, you can visit it with Rosalie's words in your head. This is important because, while the structure is in fine shape, the interiors with one notable exception are sparsely furnished on the first floor and unfurnished upstairs. The walls largely have yet to be painted or papered appropriately, and the floors are bare." -- Baltimore Sun

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (February 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801843995
• ISBN-13: 978-0801843990
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent letters give intimate look at Federal-period woman, July 9, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews

In 1794, when Rosalie Stier was 16, her Belgian family fled the Terror and came to America. When her family returned to Europe after her marriage, she wrote direct, intimate letters--over 230!-- covering all aspects of her domestic circle, her house and garden, politics, and society.

She pulls no punches: she hated "Tommy Jeff" and "Queen Dolla lolla" Madison; thought American might benefit from a king; made major investment decisions for her family; described the "rockets' red glare," (glimpsed from her bedroom window); and oversaw her daughter Caroline's debut into society.

An inspiring figure from this often-overlooked period, she gives the lie to those who believe that plantation mistresses-or housewives-did nothing but take care of a house. Her letters give the true picture of the all-consuming details: addressing business cares (she taught herself bookkeeping), educating her nine children; looking after her many servants and slaves; and (despite the household) surviving her isolation.

Her letters were discovered in the 1970s, when her family's centuries-old manuscript collection was cataloged. Rosalie's voice, buried for almost two centuries, is heard again.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of an extraordinary woman in early 19th century U.S., August 22, 1998

By	Ann Wass (Riverdale, MD) - See all my reviews

This book is the letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, mistress of a manor house in Maryland in the early 19th century. She was an emigre from Antwerp who eventually came to feel herself American. She married into one of the first families in Maryland. In addition to running her household and bearing 9 children, she handled her father's and brother's not inconsiderable investments. In her letters home, Rosalie made interesting observations on the politics and social scene of the day, as well as telling her family about her day-to-day life. Rosalie almost comes alive in the pages of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and enjoyable look at life during US infancy!, January 14, 2009

By	LOC "Bag Lady" - See all my reviews

I loved this book! I live in MD but am from the west coast originally and knew nothing of the fascinating Mistress of Riversdale. I purchased the book after a tour of the Riversdale House Museum sparked my curiosity about the local area, the house and Rosalie Stier Calvert. The collection of letters and the author's insights give an absolutely intimate peek in to life at the time of our Founding Fathers.