Going Places: Harriet Martineau's “Letters from Ireland” and the Rise of the Female Foreign Correspondent

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn 1852, Harriet Martineau made her first foray into foreign correspondence by reporting on the condition of post-famine Ireland for London’s Daily News. This article examines how Martineau entered this male-dominated line of newspaper work. Paying close attention to the generic features of mid-century newspaper reportage on Ireland, it demonstrates that Martineau strategically adapted her experience in travel writing, history and political economy to meet the specific requirements of itinerant foreign correspondence. It argues that Martineau’s success as a foreign correspondent not only reinforced her status as a reliable commentator on critical social and political issues, but also helped her to become an icon of women’s professional journalism.