Chemistry is traditionally thought to have been a masculine subject in secondary schools - one at which boys excelled and girls had limited interest. In this groundbreaking work, Marelene and Geoff Rayner-Canham reveal that from the 1820s to the 1930s chemistry teaching flourished in girls' independent schools in Britain. This tradition tailed off before the Second World War, and a proud history was forgotten even in the schools where it had once flourished. Here the authors present a rich and multifaceted account that reveals the hidden history of a landmark achievement in the education of women.