The Women of Yerkes

Women found their way to Yerkes Observatory for many reasons. Some came as graduate students or independent researchers. Others were Williams Bay locals and were hired to perform specific tasks or had family employed at the Observatory. Some worked at Yerkes for just a summer or two, while others remained at the Observatory for decades. Their official job titles ranged from Assistant, Computer, Stenographer, Bookkeeper, Librarian, and Colorist to Visiting Assistant Professor.

The women of Yerkes participated in every stage of scientific research conducted at the observatory. They made observations with the institution’s many telescopes—including the 40-inch refractor. They measured plates and spectra. They calculated stellar positions, parallaxes, and magnitudes. They maintained the equipment. They took and developed astronomical photographs as well as spectra. They analyzed astronomical and astrophysical data, and prepared their research findings for publication. Sometimes these women were credited for their labor in the acknowledgements sections of papers written by their male peers, sometimes they were recognized as editors or co-authors, and sometimes they wrote articles under their own names. And, if their labor failed to receive recognition in print, as in the case of stenographers and colorists, our archival materials serve to correct the record.