Julia Beecher

Julia Beecher (1826-1905), was a family friend of the Langdons and Olivia's Sunday school teacher. She was "a renowned beauty and amateur sculpturer" who "bobbed her waist length hair and took to wearing men's congress boots (heavy working boots)"(Trombley 132). "Determined to remain her own person despite any outside pressure to conform, Julia also decided that she would dress in terms of comfort, not fashion, and thus happily proceeded to free herself from the confines of the corset"(Trombley 133). Observing Julia's courage to be unconventional by Victorian standards and a committed feminist obviously inspired Olivia in numerous ways.

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