This article is part of an innovative experiment to explore the influence of methodologies on the drawing of historical conclusions. Two historians researching nineteenth-century businesswomen in different places compared results. One found a preponderance of widows in business in late nineteenth-century Leeds, estimating 10 per cent of businesses were run by women. The other estimated 15–20 per cent of businesses in Sydney were run by women in the mid-nineteenth century, most by wives. Each used slightly different methods, based around trade directories. Simultaneously, a third historian’s big-data analysis of the British census revealed further nuances. This article analyses the strengths and weaknesses of these methods to determine if the differences between places are real or constructed. It explores the relationship between local quantitative data and micro historical studies and how these can contribute to an international story of female economic activity.

本文是一项创新实验的一部分，旨在探索方法论对得出历史结论的影响。两位在不同地方研究19世纪女企业家的历史学家对结果进行了比较。一个人在十九世纪末期的利兹发现了很多寡妇，据估计有10％的生意是由女性经营的。估计在悉尼其他15–20％的企业是由女性经营的，多数由妻子经营。每种方法都基于贸易目录使用略有不同的方法。同时，第三位历史学家对英国人口普查的大数据分析显示出了进一步的细微差别。本文分析了这些方法的优缺点，以确定场所之间的差异是真实的还是构造的。