The Dolley Madison Digital Edition/The Dolley Madison Project

Website review of The Dolley Madison Digital Edition and The Dolley Madison Project, published in the Journal of American History, in collaboration with the website History Matters: The U.S. Survey course on the Web.

Several helpful features make the site both user-friendly and accessible to a wide audience, including: a biographical sketch of Mrs. Madison that draws on the most recent scholarship; an accompanying section ("Crosslinks") to each letter listing all names (including nicknames, middle, and maiden) appearing in the letter, in order of appearance; a different color font to highlight unclear or missing characters or words; and a summary of the contents of each letter. The first of the four basic features of the Dolley Madison Project is an iconic exhibit of images of her and the commercial uses of her name in a wide array of businesses and products, including the Dolly Madison Bakery and Dolly Madison Ice Cream, and other items, from dolls to silverware to tobacco.