Household Words: Professional Women’s Writing in Domestic Magazines 1850-1900

Funded by the Barnett Foundation. The project explores how women circumvented gender cultural and social barriers to become respected writers and earn a living from selling their literature. Domestic writing (books and articles on cooking, fashion, etiquette, etc.) enabled more women to have a space in the publishing industry and granted them some editorial power.

Drawing on archival documents and periodical publications, the project examines editors and writers such as Willa Cather (1873-1947) editor of Home Monthly and Isabella Beeton (1836-1865) founder of The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine first published in 1860. Beeton went on to became an authority on cooking and domestic home management and her book Mrs Beeton’s Household Management is still in print today. This research project has received funding from the Barnett Foundation.

Authors	Dr Marrisa Joseph