She signed herself “The Lady editor”. The first woman editor in the country, she wrote over two doze

She signed herself “The Lady editor”. The first woman editor in the country, she wrote over two dozen books and hundreds of poems – including the classic “Mary had a little lamb”. She also basically invented Thanksgiving.Her name was Sarah Josepha Hale. Her editorial career began with the Ladies’ Magazine in 1828. In 1837 Hale began working as chief editor of Godey’s Lady’s book. These publications were among the first in America created for an exclusively female audience. Then as now, women’s magazines were filled with traditional feminine topics. From the start, however, Hale ran stories on serious issues alongside articles on fashion and other more frivolous fares.Hale advocated for higher education for women, helping to found Vassar College. She founded the first society for the advancement of women’s wages, started the first-day nursery for working women and coined the term “domestic science” to give the dignity to work within the home.The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives own a rare run of early Godey’s Lady’s books. Hand-tinted fashion plates appear at the start of each issue along with engravings and illustrations of domestic life. Godey’s included contributions by such well-known writers of the day as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Washington Irving and Frances Hodgson Burnett.For serious students of women’s history, these early publications are invaluable. Check out Godey’s and other early women’s publications at the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives including: Lady’s Monthly Museum; the Lady’s friend and Journal des dames et des modes.Posted by Roberta Munoz -- source link

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