Archive Frederica Johanna van Uildriks

Brief overview

Name of the archive: Archive Frederica Johanna van Uildriks

Provenance: Eddy R. ter Braak

Dated: 1880-2009

Size: 9 archive boxes and 3 large prints

Language of the materials: Dutch, Frisian

Summary:

Archive of Frederica Johanna van Uildriks (1854-1919), teacher, writer, feminist and naturalist. Her most important achievements are her efforts towards making the field of natural history more accessible for the general public. As a publicist, she also contributed to the contemporary feminist movement.  Historian Mineke Bosch and biologist Eddy ter Braak (re-)introduced Frederica to a modern audience in 1988, through her well-kept diary.

Archive number: UBG070         

Institute: University of Groningen

Retainer: University Library Groningen

Provenance and acquisition

Biography

Frederike van Uildriks was born in Groningen, May 30 1854, as the eldest daughter in an established remonstrant (denomination of Protestantism) family, where she was raised with an appreciation for arts and culture. She had two younger sisters: Annie and Gonne. Frederike attended the ‘Stad Fransche Dag- en Kostschool voor Jonge Juffrouwen’ and was taught by Ms. Cramer. Furthermoer, she became certified as a supplement teacher at primary schools. Through independent study she also obtained basic certificates in German and French, as well as intermediate certificates in Dutch language and linguistics (1874) as well as English (1875).

After working as a teacher in Nijmegen for some time, she became a supplement teacher at the   ‘Openbare meisjes ulo’ in the Oude Boteringestraat, Groningen. From September 1877, onwards she chronicled her experiences in a diary. She was a member of several clubs and societies, proving her wide range of interests. She also continued her studies, attending lectures at the University of Groningen. Starting in 1881, Frederika was also involved in journalism. She published opinion pieces on women’s role in society, as well as the role of the church and other social issues. In 1883 van Uildriks received an intermediate certificate in geography.

From 1879 onwards, van Uildriks was a member of the ‘Vereeniging voor Leeraren bij Inrichtingen voor Middelbaar Onderwijs’ (society for teachers). Here, she befriended the Frisian socialist and teacher of natural sciences Vitus Jacobus Bruisnma, as well as his wife.

In 1886, Frederike moved to Amsterdam, working as a geography and history teacher at the ‘Bijzondere   Middelbare School voor Meisjes.’ At the end of 1890 she was involved with the foundation of ‘Leeskunst’, a club aimed at improving literacy and promoting reading as a hobby. She also joined the Vrije Vrouwenvereeniging (VVV), a feminist club run by Wilhelmina Drucker. Furthermore, she was partially responsible for the creation of the new feminist periodical De Vrouw.

In 1891, van Uildriks moved in with Bruinsma, who had separated form his wife. They moved to Gorredijk. They both quit their jobs in education, anticipating backlash due to their ‘living in sin’. Their relationship caused strain in several friendships and familial bonds: Frederike would never see her mother again. Writing became her full-time job and main source of income. She published in over 40 periodicals, mainly about the natural sciences and ethnography. For De Huisvrouw (‘the housewife’) she wrote about flowers and plants, under the pseudonym ‘Flos’. She was heavily involved with the periodical De Aarde en haar Volken (‘the earth and her people’s): she started out just doing translation          work but eventually became the editor and also contributed some of her own writing. She also published several books, intended to introduce a broad audience to topics such as culture and natural sciences.

When her partner Vitus Bruinsma was admitted to hospital in 1908, Frederika’s lifestyle became less isolated. She attended music nights and rode her bike with a group of other women. In 1910 she became a board member for a local suffragette group. During these later years she wrote several articles in Frisian.

In 1916, Vitus Bruinsma passed away, and Frederika poured her grief into her writing. In May 1919 she was taken into care. She passed in her sleep 12 July 1919, and was buried in Gorssel.          

Acquisition

Gifted by Eddy R. ter Braak.

Future additions

No future additions are expected.

Contents and collation

The archive contains material that had already been organized into folders. This structure has been kept. The folders contain articles written by Frederike, as well as advertisements, letters, photos, postcards, poetry, and her original diary. Furthermore, the archive contains research materials and notes created by Ter Braak and Bosch during their time researching Frederike’s life, as well as materials from an exhibition about Frederike held in 2011-2012.

Instructions for users of the archive

Accessibility

The archive is accessible for research purposes. To look at the archive, a University Library Access Pass is required.

Limitations to use

The materials in this archive are available for viewing only. They cannot be borrowed. When consulting these materials, the rules set out in the Reglement voor de gebruikers van de Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Groningen apply. Reproductions, insofar as they are allowed, are to be made in line with the rules set out in the Tarieven en diensten Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

Accessing the archive

An inventory of the archive is available.

Citations

When referencing (materials from) this archive, the following information must be provided in full at least once. After this, an abbreviated citation suffices.

• Archive: University Library Groningen, Archive Van Uildriks.

• Individual items: Groningen, UB, Van Uildriks [UBG070]

Requests

The materials in this archive can be requested by sending a mail to the Special Collections department.