The datasets underlying this network analysis were generated through searches of the Early Modern Letters Online database. View the dataset on men corresponding with women as a CSV here; on women corresponding with men as a CSV here; and women corresponding with women as a CSV here.

I selected my data sets because as a Catholic Women I was interested in learning more about the literacy of the women living in Rome which is the center of the Catholic Church. Catholicism at least from what I have heard and seen has always valued literacy and critical thinking especially in women and I wanted to see if it was the same back in the 1700s. I wanted to know if this was true or if it was based on false facts given to me because I did attend a Catholic School from Pre-K to 12th Grade. I would assume that if Catholicism valued female literacy, then those women who lived in Rome would be some of the most literate writing the most letters.

In doing into the research. I used the website Early Modern Letters Online, this website had tens of thousands of letters available to me. I limited my source to women writing and receiving letters from other women and men. As well as limiting my search to letters being sent within Rome only in the 1700’s. In doing so I was able to receive a data bases that in my opinion what smaller than I would have liked to see. I noticed that a lot of the letters where back and forth correspondence between two people although. It also makes me think because Rome was much smaller place in the 1700’s maybe instead of writing letters they met up in person instead because they could. I have always thought in person communication was better than over letters or text anyway.

It shows the role was not as big as I would have hoped within Rome but it I do not want to belittle the letters that were sent during this time. Anytime a women wrote during this time is a win towards female empowerment. It shows the significance in who Angelika Kaufmann was since she is connected to more than half of the other correspondence mentioned. According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, she was a prodigy painter who was trained by her father. During her stay in Italy she was elected to the Rome’s Accademia di San Luca which is a very elite academy for artist at the time. She holds a lot of power through her artistic abilities.

The network visualization done is very well organized. It goes to show that females who are already in powerful unspoken of positions can and have used their letter writing connections to deepen their status and hopefully use it to uplift other women around her.

Knowing how to read and write was a privilege that helped to gain power we know now that we should not get for granted. This has not changed since the 1700’s where it was even more of privilege to learn how to read but also how to write. This privilege comes with the power to critical think and be able to be a voice for your generation. In the 1700’s this was one of the only ways to do that. Visualizing data points at one time in hisotry makes for an easy way to see all the human connections that were happening. It also does a good job in understanding who is doing the most talking because usually those talking the most have the most influence. Also when sharing these letter we get to see relationships between these people and the implications they could have for the future. I feel as if women so often get left out when referring to influences within the Catholic Religion but these letters can be proof that they can also be influential as well.