Feb. 10 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Victorian writer Eliza Lynn Linton. Lynn Linton is considered the first female salaried journalist in England. Her writing career was profitable but not without controversy. Elizabeth (Eliza) Lynn was largely self-taught, the youngest child of a widowed clergyman who had free rein to peruse her …
March is Women’s History Month, and today we examine three recent acquisitions of travel narratives written by women. A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince (1853). Nancy Gardner Prince was a free-born African-American woman from Massachusetts. She traveled to Russia with her husband, Nero Prince, who worked for several years as …
Victorian women weren’t allowed to vote, and in fact, they were often discouraged from attending public meetings, so they had to find creative ways to influence public policy and advance social causes. One method was organizing a charity bazaar, or “fancy fair,” which sold handicrafts and other items to raise money for a popular cause …
150 years ago today, a young Victorian housewife passed away just eight days after giving birth to her fourth child. Given mortality rates in 19th century England, her death might have been just another statistic, but this woman has come to represent all things domestic in the Victorian era. Isabella Mayson would become a household …
Saturday marks the 150th birthday of a fascinating Victorian woman, Mary Kingsley. Her father, George Henry Kingsley, was a physician and world traveler. Young Mary led a rather secluded life, but had free access to her father’s library of travel and scientific books. She made her first trip abroad when she was in her 20s, …