In the annals of neglected pioneers in women's journalism, no name deserves more investigation than that of Emily Faithfull. She was born in her father's parsonage at Headley Rectory near Epsom on 27 May 1835, and came to London in 1858 to assist the indefatigable Bessie Parkes in the publishing of the English Women's Journal. At the outset Emily Faithfull worked quietly enough at 19 Langham Place under the leadership of Bessie Parkes, but by 1860 she had become enough of a power in her own right to deliver a paper at the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science in which she describes Bessie Parkes' dream of establishing a publishing center, organized and run solely by women. The success of this dream in the Victoria Press rested primarily on Emily Faithfull's dominating personality. She had an awesome presence, toughness of spirit, and supreme self-confidence. — Martha Westwater, p. 116
Biographical Material
Works
- Faithfull's article, Women's Work
- "We Praise Thee O God" from the Te Deum published by the Victoria Press
Bibliography
Faithfull, Emily. Woman's Work: with special reference to industrial employment. London: Victoria Press, 1871. Hathi Trust. Contributed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Web. 3 June 2020.
Frawley, Maria. "The Editor As Advocate: Emily Faithfull and The Victoria Magazine." Victorian Periodicals Review 31/1 (1998): 87-104.
Nestor, Pauline. 1982. "A New Departure in Women's Publishing: The English Woman's Journal and The Victoria Magazine." Victorian Periodicals Review 15 (3):93-106.
Norman, Jeremy. "Emily Faithfull Founds the Victoria Press for the Employment of Women 1860 CE." History of Information. Web. 3 June 2020 [gives a sizeable excerpt of her article entitled "Victoria Press" in The English Woman's Journal].
_____. "The Illustrated London News Reviews the First Year at Emily Faithfull's Victoria Press." History of Information. Web. 3 June 2020 [gives the whole review as well as an introductory comment on it].
Okeson, Taylor. "A Woman's Right to Work: Emily Faithfull and the Victorian Press." The Journal of Publishing Culture. 7 (May 2017): 1-11
Stone, James S. Emily Faithfull: Victorian Champion of Women’s Rights. Ontario: P.D. Meany, 1994.
Westwater, Martha. The Wilson Sisters: A Biographical Study of Upper Middle-Class Victorian Life. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1984. [The photograph appears on p. 118.]
Last modified 5 June 2020