Socialite. Suffragette. Survivor. . .
These are just some of the many words that spring to mind when I think about my first entry of this year's Women's History Month.
And, once you've read all about her, I'm sure you will agree!
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the incredible, the indestructible, the infallible Mrs Margaret Brown!
(A.k.a: The Unsinkable Molly Brown).
(Photo courtesy of missouriwomen.org)
Most of us (myself included) were first introduced to this defiant dame in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster hit Titanic. She was portrayed by the phenomenal actress Kathy Bates and, in my humble opinion, there was no other actress more fitting to portray her.
James did a fantastic job selecting Kathy to play Molly - a woman of great energy, who was full of life, who never forgot her origins (despite being 'new money') . . . However, there is one criticism I have of this film and of Mr Cameron and that is the fact that Molly Brown seemed dulled down. Minimised, almost.
Now, I guarantee this is because he already had a feisty leading lady, Rose (played by the magnificent Kate Winslet) and if James were to portray Molly as she really was. . . well. . . I can all but guarantee Rose would have been upstaged.
For example, remember in the lifeboat when the crewman states they cannot return to the scene of the wreck because the survivors will sink the lifeboat? And then Molly Brown stands up to him and begs her fellow women to row back and save as many as they can? And remember when the crewman told her to shut up, or else he would throw her off the lifeboat? And remember how Molly sat down, stunned into silence, utterly defeated and helpless?
Well, that was all wrong. Because in fact, it was Molly who threatened the crewman. She told him she would throw him off their lifeboat if he didn't man up and go back to help those in the water. She then made sure that her fellow women picked up an oar and rowed the lifeboat to keep warm, making sure to encourage them to keep their spirits up after the disaster.
Oh, and, remember in the film when Molly climbed peacefully into the lifeboat and told Rose and her mother to "get in, there's plenty of room" ?
Yeah, also didn't happen.
Molly stayed on the ship for as long as she could, ensuring as many women and children were boarded onto the lifeboats as she could fit. Considering that only a third of Titanic's total passenger count made it onto the lifeboats and survived, we can sure as heck thank Molly for a huge percentage of those lives saved!
Bold for a woman.
Bold for a rich woman.
Bold for a rich woman in 1912.
Bold for a rich woman in 1912 stuck on a lifeboat in the middle of the North Atlantic having just lost everything.
But still, she did it.
See? Defiant, confident and absolutely not taking anyone's sh*t.
But, I'm jumping ahead.
Let's go back to the beginning, and you will see exactly how The Unsinkable Molly Brown came to be, and where she went after the Titanic disaster.
Margaret Brown was born on the 18th July, 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri. When she was just 19, she decided that she would "rather be poor and happy than rich and unhappy" - a sentiment that underpinned her surprising decision to marry for love, not money. Her husband, J.J., adored Molly and, in the words of Charlotte Brontë, I would argue that he was "almost worthy of such a wife".
Nah, maybe that's a bit harsh. He was a fairly interesting fellow in his own right. He was self-educated, an engineer, and even though he and Margaret were destitute, he kept going until eventually, the large mining company Ibex Mining Company utilised J. J.'s engineering skills to successfully work an ore seam in the Little Johnny Mine. The rewards were enormous and plentiful - effectively transforming him and Molly into millionaires overnight. (Side note: due to the narrative in the film Titanic, I always thought that Molly's husband had literally 'struck gold someplace out west', maybe as a prospector but that wasn't the case. Did anyone else assume that?)
Anyways!
J.J. wasn't the only one who was self-educated. Molly herself had been educated up until the age of 13 because her parents strongly believed in girls receiving an education just as much as boys. This is something Margaret clearly agreed with, and ensured this lesson was taught to her own children, Lawrence and Catherine.
Thanks to their new-found wealth, Molly and J.J. managed to provide a good lifestyle for their children. This included travelling, education, a fancy home, a second summer home, connections to higher society, etc. etc.
However, as much as Molly enjoyed being a socialite, she never once forgot where she came from.
In the years prior to sailing on the doomed ocean liner, you would often find Molly serving in the soup kitchens of the local mine, serving food to the miners and their families. She believed in supporting them and never once faltered in showing up for the miners when they needed her.
She then took her amazing-ness to a whole new level: she became a founding member of the Denver Woman’s Press Club, making sure that their goals and focus centred on helping women access education and helping them find opportunities otherwise denied to them.
It should be no surprise, then, that Molly has also instrumental in establishing and leading the Suffragette Movement in Leadville, Colorado.
In 1904, Margaret decided to host a party and invited the Denver Woman’s Press Club as well as a one Judge Ben Lindsey, who went on to establish the first juvenile courts in the USA.
Again, supporting women and children and those in need when they needed it.
For all intents and purposes, life was looking good for Molly. She travelled, she gave generously to charity (so generously that her children were dismayed at how little they were left after Molly died), she mingled with higher society to generate funds to help their poor counterparts. . .
That was until one day in 1912 when she received a message that her grandbaby was sick and his health was failing. Without missing a beat, Ms Molly packed up her things and boarded the SS Normadic, which transported her to the grandest ship to have ever been constructed: the Titanic.
Now for most people (again, myself included), experiencing a traumatic event would generally result in feelings of hopelessness, depression and fatigue. We would need time and support to process what happened to us.
But not Molly.
Molly, as ever, was the one doing the supporting and the caring. Because the very first thing Molly did after warming up was set about gathering support from her fellow wealthy ladies for the purposes of helping their poorer counterparts. She succeeded, and soon Molly was in charge of setting up services to aid the survivors of the third- and second-class. These services even included counselling sessions!
Oh, and did I mention she did this whilst still on the RMS Carpathia? That's right! She has just been lifted out of her lifeboat and onto the rescue ship's deck and was already setting up support systems and ways of helping out her fellow women and children.
Nice.
So, at long last, the RMS Carpathia docks in New York and Molly goes on to live her life.
This time, however, there seemed to be a new wave of energy coming from within her. She went on to advocate for the education of girls as well as lobbying for the women's right to vote!
But she didn't stop there. Oh, no.
She simply kept going, lobbying for women's rights until she was blue in the face, going so far as to run for the US Senate Seat for the state of Colorado in 1914!
BUT she gave this up but ONLY because she was needed during WWI.
And by that I mean, she felt France needed her. She had been in love with France and all things French ever since she was catapulted into higher society. But again, in true Molly fashion, she didn't stay in the elite and look down her nose at poor people. Nope. She travelled to France, rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in helping those in need there. This included (but was not limited to) ensuring food was distributed amongst the wounded and needy, ensuring women were enrolled to drive ambulances and nurse the injured soldiers and making sure everyone played their part during the horrifying conflict. As a result, Molly was awarded the French Legion of Honour Award (gifted in 1932).
AND THEN she helped give aid to the miners and their families following the 1914 Ludlow Coal Mine Disaster.
AND THEN she then assisted in arranging the first International Women's Rights conference in Rhode Island.
As fabulous and awe-inspiring as all of this is, there was one downside to all of Molly's activity: the toll it took on her marriage. Sadly, she and her husband found themselves drifting apart and she and he separated. Fortunately, the split was amicable and he continued to financially support her after the separation. That's actually pretty honourable and most likely assisted Molly in continuing to fight the good fight for women. So, thank you, J.J.!
Tragically, this mighty force of a woman left us on 26th October, 1932 by way of a brain tumour, 12 years after women were awarded the right to vote in the USA.
She's been immortalised in the Colorado's Women's Hall of Fame (and rightly so!) AND she had a musical released in 1964 named The Unsinkable Molly Brown AND there is a riverboat ride in Disneyland Paris named after her.
Not bad.
Not bad at all for a woman propelled to riches from humble beginnings.
Molly Brown presenting an award to Capt. Arthur Rostron, captain of the RMS Carpathia, for his role in helping the Titanic survivors (Photo: Wikipedia)
Okay, that's all from me for the time being! Tune in next week for my second installment, where I will be introducing you to one of the most ferocious, outspoken, well-educated feminists who ever lived. . .
-M.
Links and further reading:
Other Women's History Month entries: