The Women's Press in the Civil War: A Portrait of Patriotism, Propaganda, and Prodding

Abstract

THE WOMEN'S PRESS IN THE CIVIL WAR: A PORTRAIT OF PATRIOTISM, PROPAGANDA, AND PRODDING Kathleen L. Endres The womens press during the Civil War period represented a dynamic segment of U.S. journalism. At least nine publications catered to the female audience in the North, each offering readers its own brand of Union allegiance and propaganda. Despite circulations which together totalled more than 250,000,· these publications have been largely ignored by historians of the period.2 Yet these magazines represent fruitful ground for examining contemporary attitudes toward the political, social, and economic roles of women during the war. Most of these women's periodicals were published in the large metropolitan seaboard areas of the North. Philadelphia was the home of ' Circulation figures for women's magazines varied. Godey's Lady's Book had the largest readship of any publication in its class with a circulation of 150,000 in 1860. Peterson's Magazine ranked number two before the Civil War. During the Civil War, the magazine 's circulation may have exceeded Godey's, according to Frank Luther Mott in A History of American Magazines, 1850-1865 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967), 57. The other women's magazines lagged far behind Godey's and Peterson's in circulation. Arthur's Home Magazine had a circulation in the 10,000 to 30,000 range during its existence. Leslie's Lady's Magazine reached a circulation of 50,000 after the war; no prewar figures are available. The Methodist-Episcopal Ladies' Repository reached a 35,000 circulation in 1864, an increase of 4,000 over 1857 figures. The Lady's Friend had a 20,000 circulation in 1864. The Universalist Ladies' Repository had a circulation of only 2,000 in 1845; later figures are not available. Circulation figures are not available for the Sibyl and the Mother's Magazine and Family Circle. See Isabelle Webb Entrikin, Sarah Josepha Hale and Godey's Lady's Book (Philadelphia: Privately Published, 1946), 116. Mott, History of Magazines, 10, 320, 417, 439-40; Methodist Ladies' Repository, January 1857, p. 64 and December 1864, pp. 758-59; Lady's Friend, December 1864, p. 888. 2 Mott concluded, "The women's periodicals, as a class, kept clear of war matters, though we may be sure their readers did not" (p. 150). Recent historians have focused on what has been called the "Cult of True Womanhood" and the role of the women's press in presenting this ideal. See, for example, Barbara Welter, "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860," American Quarterly, 18 (Summer 1966): 151-74. 32CIVIL WAR HISTORY the majority and the largest (in terms of circulation), including Godey 's Lady's Book,Petersons,Lady's Friend, and Arthur's Home Magazine . New York was the base of Frank Leslie's Monthly (renamed in 1863 Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine) and Mother's Magazine and Family Circle. The Universalist Ladies' Repository was published in Boston. Farther west was the Methodist-Episcopal Ladies' Repository in Cincinnati and the Sibyl, in Middletown, New York. Although catering to female audiences, these magazines did not present the war or women's role and responsibility in the war in the same manner. Differences in content emanated from the editors' political sympathies and their views of women in society. The women's press can, in fact, be divided into two distinct elements: the reform and the "mainstream" groups. The reform group called for the abolition of slavery early in the war, made extensive political comments during the war, and urged women's active participation in the war, not only in relief societies, but also in political avenues. The editors of the "mainstream " publications, on the other hand, skirted the controversial issues of the day. They were silent on government leadership and handling of the war but articulate on the role of women in the war within carefully prescribed limits. Four women's publications could be classified within the reform group: the Sibyl,Arthur's Lady's Home Magazine, the Methodist-Episcopal Ladies' Repository, and the Universalist Ladies' Repository. The editors of these publications presented more political commentary on the war, which, in many cases, included such radical stances as the vigorous...