"Lady Journalists. (Fourth Series)," in the Lady's Pictorial, 23 December 1893 (p.1020) covers Mrs. (Marie?) Babington Corr (1865?–?); Miss Hulda Friedrichs (1857?–1927); "Mrs. Roy Devereux" (née McAdam; married name: Rosalie Devereux Pember, 1867–1947); Mrs. (Alice) Meynell (née Thompson; 1847–1922); Mrs. (Agatha Georgina Florence) Eliot James (née Vyvyans; 1845?–1919). It is illustrated with portraits of Mrs. Babington Corr from a photograph by Bullingham; Mrs Meynell; Mrs. Roy Devereux; Miss Friederichs from a photograph by Russell & Sons; Mrs. Eliot James.
[The portraits below are 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]
RS. BABINGTON CORR, has only followed journalism as a profession for about two years and a half, but that short period has sufficed to prove that she has by no means mistaken her vocation. Her first work was of a somewhat ambitious character, being neither more nor less than an interview with the German Empress, obtained through the good offices of a lady of position, whose husband held an important diplomatic appointment at the Court of Berlin during the lifetime of the Emperor Frederick. This interview was submitted by Mrs. Babington Corr to a very great authority in the journalistic world, who warmly approved of it, and strongly urged her to proceed in the course of work upon which she had started so favourably. From that time, supported by the confidence inspired by so authoritative and encouraging an opinion, Mrs. Babington Corr has practised her profession persistently and with success. Her countryman and friend, Mr. Robert Martin, of "Ballyhooley" and "Killaloe" renown, introduced Mrs. Babington Corr to the Editor of the Sporting and Dramatic News, who shortly afterwards invited her to become a member of his staff, and she contributes weekly notices of hunting and theatrical matters to the columns of that paper, and in January will commence a series of bi-weekly articles on ladies' dress, and subjects of general interest to women. Mrs. Babington Corr is also on the staff of the Sketch, and has been so from its commencement, first contributing weekly stories for the children's page, and latterly weekly notes, articles on subjects of general interest, and interviews. Mrs. Babington Corr contributes articles on art and the theatres to the Lady, and reviews books for the St. James's Budget, as well as contributing weekly notes on matters of current interest to that journal. She has also been an occasional contributor to the Globe, the Westminster Gazette, the Illustrated London News, and the Daily Graphic. Mrs. Babington Corr is also a contributor to the Queen, and may fairly be considered a hardworking and versatile, as well as a successful member of her profession.
Left: Mrs Babington Corr. Right: Miss Hulda Friedrichs.
iss Hulda Friedrichs is a thoroughly typical journalist, full of enthusiasm for her profession, and for that reason, as well as by virtue of her talent and industry, has pursued it with conspicuous success. Miss Friedrichs does not care to talk shop, but if interrogated about her literary career will sum it up briefly and cheerily as "ten years' delightful work as general journalist." Miss Friedrichs, who is German by birth but writes admirably clear and vigorous English, is chiefly associated with the Westminster Gazette and the Westminster Budget, upon both of which she writes upon all sorts of topical and social subjects as well as editing the "Children's Page" in the Budget, but she does not write the fashion articles. It has always been the rule, and a wholesome rule, too, on the Westminster Gazette, as it was on the Pall Mall Gazette, when under the same régime, that to earn the same money and enjoy the same privileges as the men journalists, the women journalists on the staff should do similar work, and Miss Friedrichs has never felt disposed to quarrel with this condition of her profession, believing it to be both a just and wholesome regulation. Miss Friedrichs is a regular contributor to the Young Woman, and has also contributed to the English Illustrated Magazine, and was for a time the correspondent of the Cologne Gazette. Some of the special articles written by Miss Friedrichs have been of a peculiarly interesting nature, especially when it is remembered that they were the work of a woman. Amongst the subjects which Miss Friedrichs has specially studied, and upon which she has written, are the Irish Question, which she investigated personally in some of its most interesting phases in Ireland; the conditions of life endured by women on the canal boats in England; the status and habits of women in Germany; the cession of Heligoland to Germany, in connection with which Miss Friedrichs acted as Special Commissioner to that island for the Pall Mall Gazette, on whose behalf she took a plébiscite of the inhabitants, plainly showing that it was not their desire to be handed over bodily to that country; German politics, acting, in particular, for the Pall Mall, in Berlin, at the critical period of Prince Bismarck's resignation; the miners' strike, during which she acted as Special Commissioner of the Westminster Gazette, visiting the homes of the men, a painful duty similar to that which she also discharged with ability and tact for the same paper in visiting victims of the great "Liberator" frauds.
Miss Friedrichs speaks seven languages, and her fund of information is encyclopædic, her constantly varied work as an interviewer of all sorts and conditions of men and women adding daily to her store. Miss Friedrichs' first connection with the Press was in the capacity of secretary to Mr. Stead, an appointment which she owed to her know edge of the Russian language, and which led to her regular employment on the staff of the Pall Mall Gazette, which was then under Mr. Stead's editorship. Since that time Miss Friedrichs has been incessantly busy in almost every branch of Press work, but her ten years' experience has only confirmed and developed that taste for journalism which has enabled her to follow her profession with equal profit and pleasure.
Mrs Roy Devereux.
rs. Roy Devereux is now a regular and industrious member of the journalistic profession, yet, until a year or two ago, nothing seemed more unlikely than that she would drift into literary work. In fact, her initiation into journalism was almost a matter of accident. Before Mrs. Devereux took up literary work, no one could have been more "out of it" than she was, for she had never even spoken to any one who had written anything. An incident which occurred at a country house where Mrs. Devereux was staying impressed her, and she thought she would try to write a story about it, just for her own amusement. But a friend who read it urged her to send it to a paper. Some time after she did so, and that story and another appeared in the Gentlewoman, to which Mrs. Devereux became a contributor of book reviews, and other items. Latterly, Mrs. Devereux has been engaged in many different branches of journalism, contributing occasional articles to the Speaker and the Evening Standard, and writing a fashion letter for another paper. At one time Mrs. Devereux did a great deal of reporting and interviewing, but this she has now given up, as she found the former too exhausting, and the latter disagreeable. Mrs. Devereux is now contributing frequent reviews and articles on literary subjects to The Sketch and the Star, and has recently joined the staff of the St. James's Budget, to which she contributes a weekly article on "Impressions of Fashion." Mrs. Devereux is never so happy as when she is writing about books, for literature is her deepest and most absorbing interest. By birth she is a Scotch woman, daughter of Captain Incledon, late of the 78th Highlanders, and granddaughter of Sir James Incledon, of Ballochmorie, Surveyor-General of Roads, whose name has become a household word in this association. Mrs. Devereux's nom de plume, "Roy Devereux," needs a word of explanation, for it has mystified some of her friends not a little. Her married name in full is Rosalie Devereux Pember, but a great dislike of publicity and a lack of confidence in her ability, induced her to drop her husband's second name at the outset of her journalistic career, and to prefix it with another, which would not brand her work as that of a woman, for it has always been her ambition to write of other matters than those of exclusively feminine interest.
rs. Meynell, though most widely known by her two volumes of "Essays and Poems," has contributed occasionally to many newspapers and magazines. Her ambition to be a writer dates from childhood, as did her sister's ambition to be a painter; and the year which saw "The Roll Call" had hardly passed before the younger sister's volume of "Preludes" won a warm welcome from Mr. Rosetti and Mr. Ruskin. Of late years Mrs. Meynell has written only prose; and the prose which she has contributed to the National Observer is no doubt that by which she elects to be judged, since it is mostly that which she has republished in the Rhythm of Life — a volume which lives in the praises of Mr. Coventry Patmore. Mrs. Meynell has done some work as a reviewer of books and as a reviewer of pictures. She has contributed mostly to the Art Journal, the Magazine of Art, the Saturday Review, the Architect, and the Pall Mall Gazette. Among the paragraphists of the World she was what may be called the grammarian-in-chief for many years, taking anonymous vengeance on many male authors for the slur cast on "feminine" grammar whenever slips occur in books that happen to be written by women and reviewed by men. To the Roman Catholic papers — of one of which, the Weekly Register, her husband, Mr. Wilfred Meynell, is proprietor, she is also a very frequent contributor.
Left: Mrs Meynell. Right: Mrs. Eliot James.
rs. Eliot James, a busy and capable writer, is a Cornish-woman, a member of one the oldest county families — the Vyvyans of Trelowarren-who flourished in Cornwall more than seven centuries ago. Sir Richard Vyvyan, M.P. (created baronet by Charles I. 1644), was Master of the Mint in the time of the Rebellion, suffering both in person and in property for his devotion to the Royal cause. Mrs. Eliot James is a daughter of the late Rev. Vyel Francis Vyvyan, and sister of the present and ninth baronet, the Rev. Sir Vyel Vyvyan, of Trelowarren and Truan. Though possessed of strong political and literary tastes, inherited from both parents, it was not until after her return from India, whither she went on her marriage with Mr. Henry Eliot James (41st Welsh Regiment) that she took up journalism professionally, and became a contributor to The Times, The Queen, The Field, The British Mercantile Gazette, The Western Daily Mercury, and The Bazaar Exchange and Mart, on the staff of which papers she has been ever since. In 1879 Mrs. Eliot James wrote a book entitled "Indian Household Management," published by Ward, Lock, and Co., some chapters of which had previously appeared in The Queen, The Field, and The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine. The book, which supplied a want—that of a reliable guide for young married women going to India—meeting with very favourable notice from the Press, encouraged the author to another effort, and making use of material collected, and information and experience gained while in India, she wrote a more important work, "Indian Industries," published by W. H. Allen and Co. Other books written by Mrs. Eliot James include "Profitable and Economical Poultry Keeping," and "Our Servants: their duties to us and ours to them." Articles contributed to The National Review on "Tobacco Culture in England," and "Flax v. Tobacco as a Farmer's Crop," attracted considerable attention at the time they were written, the latter being circulated in pamphlet form in some districts in England favourable to flax culture. During the last sixteen years Mrs. Eliot James has contributed a large number of articles on various subjects—political, agricultural, commercial, social, and domestic; short stories to Christmas numbers, paragraphs, book reviews, musical and dramatic notices, &c., &c, to other papers, including the LADY'S PICTORIAL, the St. Stephen's Review, in the early days of its existence, an Indian paper, the Morning Post (Allahalbad), for which she wrote a "London Letter," and several magazines, including Chambers Journal, Cassell's Family Magazine, the Woman's World, and Sylvia's Home Journal. At present she is doing regular work on one of the largest London daily papers, and on four London weeklies; but holding the opinion that journalism should be as far as possible anonymous, does not identify herself, by name, with any. Her work is a great source of interest and pleasure to her. Residing in Brighton, Mrs. Eliot James held for nearly three years the Dame presidentship of the "Brighton Dames." a large and well-known Primrose League Habitation, which position she resigned in May last. She is keenly alive to the necessity of women taking an intelligent interest in their country's government and well-being, and believing that sex should be no franchise disqualification, but that women rated as men, on their own separate property, should be entitled to the same privileges of citizenship, Mrs. Eliot James is a supporter of women suffrage, within the lines of a rating basis.
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