"Lady Journalists. [First Series]," in the Lady's Pictorial, 11 November 1893 (p.734) covers (Emily) Crawford (1841–1915); Miss (Ella Jane) Curtis (1840–1910; "Blue Stocking"); Mrs. (Mary) Whitley (née Alford, 1854/5–1931; "Butterfly"); Mrs. (Eliza Davis) Aria (1866–1931); (Annie) Ethel Lloyd (1858/9–1936; half-sister of Mrs. Humphry); Mrs. (Charlotte Eliza) Humphry (née Graham, 1843–1925; "Madge"); Mrs. (Nannie Lambert) Power O'Donoghue (1843–1940; "Amazon"); Miss (Mary Frances) Billington (1862–1925); Miss (Emily) Faithfull (1835–1895; "Lancashire Witch"); and Mrs. (Florence) Fenwick-Miller (1854–1935). It is illustrated with a portrait of Mrs. Crawford from a photograph by Wolfenstein.
[The portrait below is in the original piece, but the decorated initials, bold print and dates for each journalist, endpiece and links have all been added. Thanks to Valerie Fehlbaum, from the Department of English Language and Literature at the Université de Genève (and the author of a biography of Ella Hepworth Dixon) for sharing the scans that served as the basis of these transcripts for readers of the Victorian Web. — Philip Jackson]
S journalism as a suitable profession for ladies has happily long passed from the vague and uncertain region of theory into that of successfully accomplished fact, and, more especially, as it is now universally admitted that there are many special branches of journalistic work which women can take up more effectively than men, of which such a periodical as the LADY'S PICTORIAL itself is a conspicuous proof, we have peculiar pleasure in presenting our readers on this and the next page, with a first series of portraits of lady journalists, to whose ability and industry the public owe a vast amount of information and entertainment. It will be seen by the brief sketches of the journalistic careers of the ladies whose portraits we are giving that journalism for women is by no means restricted, as many suppose, to the chronicling of the latest vagaries of fashion or the newest movements in the more or less frivolous circles of society. On the contrary, there is not a single lady journalist of those we have the pleasure of introducing to our readers, who has not won some success in literature, or at the least in critical or descriptive journalistic work which would be worse than valueless if it were not impregnated with an unmistakable literary flavour. Art and literature, philanthropic effort, political and social movements of the first importance, foreign travel, and exploration of little-known nooks and corners of our great cities at home, tentative talks with men and women who have helped to make history in the serious or lighter meaning of the word, notable events, and people in every class and circumstance of contemporary society—these are the worlds and entities which the lady-journalist has made her own, and in which, with a courage and a patience which are essentially womanly, she has persisted in her work, living down prejudice, and in the end winning a success which has not only meant securing an honourable and remunerative profession for the individual, but the opening-up of a new and fitting field for educated and intelligent women-workers for all time.
In presenting these portraits to our readers it is only right to mention that they by no means exhaust the ranks of successful lady journalists, as several whose work is popular and whose success is indubitable prefer to remain personally unknown to the public to whose instruction or amusement they devote their pens.
Mrs Crawford.
rs. Crawford, the brilliant Paris correspondent of Truth and the Daily News, is not only one of the most successful but also one of the most remarkable of living lady-journalists. Her exceptional talent would alone suffice to make her a distinguished member of her profession, but her eventful and unceasingly busy career makes her position on the Press positively unique. Living for more than twenty years past in the Boulevard de Courcelles, Paris, Mrs. Crawford knows that city, its society and its politics, with a minuteness and a precision which give great value to her opinions, as well as enabling her to prove constantly that her memory is a veritable store-house of interesting and entertaining facts. A voracious reader from her early childhood, it was in her nineteenth year that she began to write, her mother then migrating with her family, upon the death of her husband, to Paris, where influential friends afforded Miss Emily Johnstone, as Mrs. Crawford then was, her first insight into Court life — an insight which fired her with a longing to write an account of things as they were, and not as they were then for the most part being presented in the English Press. But it was almost by chance, through the accident of one of her graphic private letters to a friend falling into the hands of a London editor, that she obtained her first chance as a journalist, he, struck by the unconventional and vivid style of her letter, offering to take Paris correspondence from her regularly. From that day to this Mrs. Crawford has practically known no single day upon which she has done no work for the Press. In 1864 the young journalist married Mr. Crawford, the well-known Paris correspondent of the Daily News, and from that time until his death she assisted him in his work, and so ably and fully did she become associated with it that upon her husband's death in 1885 the proprietors of the Daily News at once offered her the vacant post. Mrs. Crawford is a rapid and reliable worker, original and incisive in style, and thoroughly imbued with the theory that a journalist should not only see and hear for herself but that she should write out all that is in her with absolute candour and also preserve so far as possible an individuality of style. Enjoying fine health and a splendid constitution, Mrs. Crawford has been able to achieve some remarkable feats of physical endurance as well as mental alertness during her career, sitting on one occasion in the loge grillée at Versailles from early morning until midnight, and then writing a descriptive article with a précis of the speeches, unfortified by a single note. Mrs. Crawford was in Paris under the Commune, and in March 1871, pluckily made her way alone through the turbulent and barricaded city, and succeeded in interviewing the Communist leaders as they were assembled in council. When the Opéra Comique was consumed by fire she was the first journalist to clamber along the smoking débris, and upon her invariable principle of doing thoroughly small things as well as great, she has been known to hurry from a ball-room, on a winter night, in evening dress, to the nearest telegraph office, in order to be first in the field with news of a social function. Mrs. Crawford once acted as Paris correspondent for the Morning Star, under the editorship of Mr. Justin McCarthy, and was a contributor to Once a Week, and the Weekly San Francisco Bulletin. She has just received the distinction of becoming an honorary member of the Irish Literary Society, the honour being conferred on her unanimously "in consideration of the distinguished services" rendered by her as an Irish journalist. Equally admirable as a journalist and a woman, Mrs. Crawford never allowed her work to interfere with her duties as a mother, and her sons are excellent proofs of her judicious training. The eldest (George), after a brilliant career at Cambridge, is acting with great success as an army coach in Clifton; the second son (Robert) helps his mother in her journalistic work, and is already also making his own name known; and the youngest (Martin) is in India. A woman of rare ability and tact, Mrs. Crawford is as charming socially as she is brilliant professionally, hence, without doubt, her unique success.
iss Curtis is an Irishwoman of French extraction on her father's side, and comes of a literary stock. Her grandfather, William Curtis, Esq., of Annaghmore, King's County, was a writer of the romantic verse which was more highly esteemed in the early part of the century than it is at the present day, and her father was a frequent and very popular contributor to the Dublin University Magazine, a periodical which, after a long and brilliant career, was beaten in its final struggle for existence by the cheap and admirable magazines of to-day. Miss Curtis, when very young, began her literary career in the Dublin University Magazine, and it is possible that some of the Irish stories which she contributed to it from time to time may one day be collected and brought out in book form. The first of the six novels she has written, "All for Herself," was published by Messrs. Hurst and Blackett in 1887; and the sixth and last, "A Game of Chance," was written for and brought out by Messrs. Tillotson and Son, of Bolton. Her second and, in her own opinion, her best novel, "His Last Stake," came out when serious stories, in which there is more psychology than plot, were less popular than they are now, and it did not, therefore, attract the reading public as it perhaps might at the present moment. Miss Curtis, who contributes a popular column to the Illustrated Penny Paper, has been connected with the LADY'S PICTORIAL almost from its birth, and her contributions have been of an extremely varied character. The summer number of one year consisted of a story from her pen, called "Lovell's Whim." Miss Curtis has also contributed some of the "Town and Country Tales" to the World, and written one or two stories for Bow Bells, but her style not being of the sensational order, she soon gave up that particular line of literature. Her present contributions to the LADY'S PICTORIAL chiefly take the form of reviews of "Books of the Day," and her work, signed "Blue Stocking," is well known and highly appreciated by the readers of this paper.
rs. Whitley, who is so well known as an authoritative and graceful writer upon all subjects connected with dress and fashion, as well as a cultured and incisive art critic, and who has been a most valuable member of the staff of the LADY'S PICTORIAL for nearly ten years, commenced work as a journalist by contributing rural and general articles to various local papers, afterwards writing from time to time, on different subjects, for the New York Times, the Pall Mall Gazette, the Theatre, and the English Illustrated Magazine. Her first contribution to the LADY'S PICTORIAL appeared in 1884, and since that date she has occupied an important and responsible position on the staff of this paper, contributing to its pages weekly, without intermission, "Art Notes" and descriptive articles on dress and fashion, with answers to correspondents on the latter subject. Mrs. Whitley has also edited the "Children's Page" of the LADY'S PICTORIAL for the last eight years, and in that and every other capacity has won troops of friends by her unvarying kindness and courtesy. Indefatigable in gathering material for her articles upon dress and fashion, Mrs. Whitley, under the signature of "Butterfly," never fails to keep her readers thoroughly informed of the very latest news in the world most interesting to women, and by her lucid and minutely accurate descriptions, and her polished literary style, conveys a host of valuable information in a most agreeable fashion.
rs. Aria, one of the brightest and most vivacious of lady journalists, is also a thoroughly hard-working and enthusiastic devotee of her profession. Her work is both careful and clever, covers a wide field, and is always interesting as well as reliable. Mrs. Aria writes in Black and White the "Diary of the Daughter of Eve," as well as special descriptive articles; to the Queen she contributes "The Vista of Fashion," as well as occasional articles on other subjects; and in the Gentlewoman all the matter relating to dress and fashion is exclusively her department, and she also writes various occasional articles in the columns of that journal. In Hearth and Home Mrs. Aria edits the fashion section, writes "Gowns and Gossip," and answers correspondents. Besides this she occasionally contributes social articles, interviews, &c., to the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, and other papers in London and America. Mrs. Aria has been writing since the beginning of 1890, and has been the regular fashion writer for various other journals, as well as contributing to several magazines.
iss Ethel Lloyd, a most popular and capable member of the journalistic craft, is, like her sister, Mrs. Humphry, an indefatigable worker, and has a most conscientious regard for accuracy which makes her work of real and lasting value. Miss Lloyd, who is to be seen at all places where fashionable society congregates, from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, and from a "swagger" private view at the "Grafton" or the "New" to a drawing-room meeting in Park Lane for the purpose of providing silk pocket-handkerchiefs for the coming generation in Borrioboola Gha, does a great deal of work, and does it well. To the Globe, in conjunction with her sister, she contributes a weekly column on dress and cognate subjects, and a somewhat similar one to Irish Society. Miss Lloyd also writes social paragraphs for the Leeds Mercury, is a regular contributor of Society notes to the LADY'S PICTORIAL, and writes a weekly article upon fashion for the Daily Telegraph; Miss Lloyd is also an occasional contributor of articles upon social and topical subjects to other papers and magazines, but the major part of her work is concerned with society and dress. Reliable in matter, and with an easy, agreeable method of conveying her information, Miss Lloyd has well won a success which is grudged by none, for she is also one of the frankest and kindest of women—an Irishwoman, in a word, of the most charming type.
rs. Humphry, one of the brightest and cleverest of the whole army of lady journalists, is known literally in every nook and corner of the civilised world as "Madge" of Truth, to which famous journal she has contributed each week for many years those admirable and inimitable papers known as "Girls' Gossip," in which all sorts of current events interesting to women are chronicled and discussed with invariable vivacity and unimpeachable taste. Mrs. Humphry is a most active and vigilant journalist, who knows everything and everybody worth knowing in contemporary society, and her "Gossip," while often "personal," is always kindly and womanly and sympathetic. Mrs. Humphry infinitely prefers doing her work to talking about it, but it may be added that she has been a regular and valued contributor to the Daily News for about as many years as she has written the "Girls' Gossip" for Truth, and that she also, in conjunction with her sister, Miss Lloyd, writes a weekly column for the Globe and contributes to a large number of provincial papers.
adame Power O'Donoghue, who is the youngest child of the late Charles Lambert, Esq., of Castle Ellen, Athenry, co. Galway, and who married Dr. Power O'Donoghue, Mus. Bac. , Ph. D., F.S.A., &c., is an excellent type of the bright, humorous, liberal-minded Irishwoman, of untiring energy and great natural ability. Mrs. O'Donoghue began her professional work as a journalist upon the LADY'S PICTORIAL in 1881, and is now one of the hardest-working and most prolific lady journalists of the day. The mere list of periodicals to which she is a contributor rivals the Homeric catalogue of ships. To the New York Herald, the New York Sportsman, the Boston Herald, and the Providence Daily Journal Mrs. O'Donoghue contributes sporting articles; to the Graphic and Daily Graphic articles and stories; to the Illustrated London News reports of shows and sports in Ireland; to the LADY'S PICTORIAL a weekly letter of Irish news, signed "Amazon"; to Land and Water sporting news and reminiscences of famous Irish sportsmen; and to the Sporting and Dramatic News articles on sport and stories. In the Liverpool Daily Post Mrs. O'Donoghue writes on topics of the day; to Vanity Fair she sends "Things in Ireland" and occasional "Vain Tales"; to Household Words, Chambers Journal, and Our Own Gazette, stories, articles, and poems; to the Dublin Daily Express, general news; and to the Calcutta Asian articles on sport and stories. In addition to keeping these inumerable strings to her journalistic bow taut and trim, Mrs. O'Douoghue has written several successful novels and works on horsemanship for ladies, which are accepted as standard authorities upon the subject. She illustrates her own books, speaks several languages, is a good pianist, vocalist, and harpist, has owned and trained several famous horses, and was a regular and fearless follower of the hounds until she met with a bad accident in the hunting-field a few years ago. Mrs. O'Donoghue was proposed a member of the Institute of Journalists by Sir Hugh Gilzean Reed in 1891, and was very properly elected by a unanimous vote.
iss Mary Frances Billington, one of the best known as well as skilful and indefatigable lady journalists, is a Dorsetshire woman, and commenced her literary career by writing "turnovers" for the Globe. After contributing articles to that column for some time she made the acquaintance of Mr. Passmore Edwards, who offered her a definite position on the staff of the Echo, of which he was, and is, editor and proprietor. Shortly after this, Miss Billington wrote a series of descriptive articles upon London life for the Sunday Times, which attracted a good deal of attention, and, when the Daily Graphic was started, she was engaged upon its staff, and has, since that date, done most of her work for that journal. Miss Billington is a born journalist, with plenty of tact, energy, resource, a pleasant manner, and an abundance of the good health so indispensable to success as an "all-round" journalist, who must not hesitate to go anywhere at any time in the service of her paper. A thoroughly womanly woman, unaffected and quite unspoiled by her success, Miss Billington is equally popular in and out of her profession. At the present time Miss Billington is carrying out perhaps the most important commission as yet entrusted to a lady journalist, namely, a special tour of enquiry, for the Daily Graphic and the Graphic, into the moral and material progress of women in India. Miss Billington is equipped with the highest introductions to the Viceroy, Lord and Lady Harris, Lord and Lady Wentworth, and a host of Maharanis and Ranis. The India Office is also affording her special facilities, and her tour will include Ceylon, Madras and the Coromandel Coast, Calcutta, Lower Bengal, Upper Orissa, Benares, Lucknow, Delhi, Agra, Bhaunagar Native State, Bombay, and the Malabar Coast.
iss Faithfull, the "Lancashire Witch" of the LADY'S PICTORIAL, was recently described by George Augustus Sala "as one of the first lady journalists." Her work began in days when no Writers' Club was needed, for the lady reporters and writers, &c., who now frequent Fleet-street simply did not exist. Her first literary contributions appeared in 1859 in the Englishwomen's Review. In 1863 Miss Faithfull founded the Victoria Magazine, a monthly periodical devoted to women's educational and industrial interests. This was followed by a penny weekly paper called Women and Work, and also by the West London Express. Miss Faithfull writes for the North American Review and for several of the leading newspapers in America. She has published an interesting volume on her travels in the United States and her experiences among the Mormons in Salt Lake City, and also a novel entitled "Change upon Change." Miss Faithfull's name is known and honoured in every part of the globe as one of the earliest, bravest, and most devoted workers for the educational and material progress of her sex, and her wide experience of every phase of what is commonly called the "Woman Question," as well as her generous sympathies and admirable broadmindedness, make her one of the most popular authorities of the day upon all matters connected with the advancement of her sex.
rs. Fenwick-Miller's name is so familiar to all who know anything at all of the great movement for the advancement of woman socially, intellectually, and politically, that it is no exaggeration to say that her work, with tongue as well as with pen, is known wherever the English language is spoken and an intelligent interest taken in the cause of womanhood. An eloquent speaker, Mrs. Fenwick-Miller naturally has to spend a considerable portion of her time upon the platform, but she is also a busy and capable journalist and contributor to the periodical literature of the day. Mrs. Fenwick-Miller writes political as well as social leaders for two provincial daily papers — four each week, and for one of these papers she has written for nine years. She has written a column for women every week for more than seven years in the Illustrated London News, and for several years wrote a London letter, which appeared, amongst other papers, in the Leeds Express, Shields Daily News, Hampshire Telegraph, Bristol Observer, Lancaster Guardian, Midland Counties Express, and Folkestone News. Mrs. Fenwick-Miller was also for something like five years a regular weekly contributor to the LADY'S PICTORIAL. At present a good deal of her time is taken up in writing for and editing a magazine called Outward Bound, that circulates exclusively in the Colonies and on the great lines of steamships, and in contributing from time to time to many other journals, work from her pen appearing occasionally in nearly all the London dailies. At the Chicago Exhibition Mrs. Fenwick-Miller acted as special correspondent of the Echo. Mrs. Fenwick-Miller is gifted with an effective literary style, and spares no pains in giving to her work a solid foundation of facts which makes it as valuable as it is interesting.
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