This collection of drawings from Gilman's personal collection explore themes of depression, death and motherhood. Although Gilman never officially published these works, her personal drawings offer an insight into her mind that many other, more edited works, cannot. Given that these drawings have no official context, one can read their own interpretations into each one.
Chopin, another celebrated female writer from the late 19th century, writes in an unpublished poem about the "ecstacy of madness." She takes something used to oppress women, in this case: madness, and celebrates the freedom of it. Although this is not a well-known work, Chopin frequently used her status as a writer to speak about the oppression of women. This particular poem calls attention to the ways in which Chopin was celebrated for her acts of resistence to the dominant culture.
