Bank for women: 1911 ad

This advertisement for a London "bank for women" proudly boasts "the whole of the advantages and facilities offered to the Male Customers...apply equally to Women," in an environment "entirely worked by Women." In addition to the fascinating look at the Edwardian practice of capitalising words seemingly by rolling a D12, it's also a stark reminder of the kind of limits on women's independent financial lives that have long been part of society.

Farrow's Bank for Women, 1911

Update Scott Edelman sez, "Saw your post abut that 1911 bank for women, and thought you might find this 1912 ad about a private detective for women equally interesting."

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braininavat

Farrow: a litter of pigs.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farrow
Anonymous

Founded in 1978 and still operating in Denver into the nineties when I lived there the Denver Womens Bank seemed a bit anachronistic to me but had a rep for being friendly and well managed. Link to founders obit:http://www.denverpost.com/obituaries/ci_7475435
Headbone

Apparently women today can vote, own land, and wear trowsers. What is the world coming to?
Keir

What’s a D12?
- Anonymous
  
  A dodecahedral dice extensively used in pen-and-paper role playing games, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dice#Non-cubical_dice
- Nettdata
  
  I’m assuming it’s referring to a 12-sided die.
jpgsawyer

Err I don’t think a D12 or any dice were involved. It seems to me that instead of using bold or all caps for Emphasis, they have capitalized the first letter of words.

A very Civilized practise if you ask me, unlike the restrictions imposed on women at the time.
- Anonymous
  
  Judging by the CURRENT DEPOSIT and THRIFT Accounts, it looks like they didn’t mind a smattering of all caps either.
benher

With cute little pink gumdrop money and candy coins!
Anonymous

Banks for women still exist in most parts of the world, e.g. most microfinance self-help groups.
IamInnocent

I remember my mother coming back from the bank once, fuming, and this was in the sixties… but you should have seen the banker. ;)
Rayonic

I think this idea could be popular today. We’ve got fitness clubs for women, television channels for women, etc. etc.
- JIMWICh
  
  Oh, then you should definitely try to watch the excellent HBO series, “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” set in Botswana and starring Jill Scott.
  
  http://www.hbo.com/the-no-1-ladies-detective-agency/index.html
  
  From Wikipedia:
  
  The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a series of eleven novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith. The agency is located in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. Its founder is a Motswana woman, Mma Precious Ramotswe, who features as the stories’ protagonist and main detective. The episodic novels are as much about the adventures and foibles of different characters as they are about solving mysteries. Each book in the series follows on from the previous book. They have been adapted for radio, television, and internet.
gumbowing

Suffragette City!
Suffragette City!
Suffragette City!
OOOOOH! A-Wham! Bam! Thank you M’aam!
Suffragette!
chawke

I’m a lady you see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lFtMLH3AEc
- Phil Ward
  
  for a moment there, I thought that was going to be Harry Enfield’s “women, know your place” infomatic:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37SNYjg8w
DoctressJulia

I am wearing my Enchanted Trowsers of Feminism (+2 against undead) right now. Ooouuurhgh!!