Educational Media Reviews Online

The Petticoat Expeditions provides a unique glimpse of 19th century Canada through the eyes of three very uncommon British women. Each traveled independently through the Canadian wilderness, and chronicled their individual experiences. The program provides brief biographical information about the women, and examines their motivations and discoveries.

Anna Jameson was a published writer, and first European female to travel through Upper Canada. She recorded the journey by land in her journal and sketchbook, paying particular attention to the conditions of women. Frances Hopkins traveled the wilderness rivers by canoe. As a painter, she was able to provide detailed portrayals of the landscapes and ways of life she encountered along the way. Photographer Lady Ishbel Aberdeen was an upper class Scot, who traveled to Canada for her health. She took the opportunity to explore the wilderness in search of Scottish settlers, and recorded the social conditions and home life of the families she encountered.

The production standards of the program are excellent. Beautifully filmed landscapes and subtle dramatizations are interspersed with photographs, paintings and readings from the journals and letters of these pioneering women. The program is held together by the pleasing narration of Helena Bonham-Carter. While the scope of the program is relatively narrow and coverage of each individual woman is limited, The Petticoat Expeditions offers an introduction to an area of history probably not touched upon that often. Given the introductory nature of the program, is recommended as an appropriate purchase for all school and undergraduate academic libraries, and would provide curriculum support for subject areas within history, women's studies, and sociology.