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Godey's Lady's Book GraciousJaneMarie.com ▼Scroll
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Godey's Lady's Book GraciousJaneMarie.com ▼Scroll
to the bottom of this page for a list of contents |
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Gracious Living - Victorian Life Hoop Skirts
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The most famous 19th century American women's magazine was Godey's Lady's Book. It was best known for its hand-colored fashion plates (drawings). And every monthly issue contained some, if not all, of the following: recipes, practical advice, poetry, sheet music for piano forte, dress patterns, biographical outlines, needlework instructions, book notices, and both fiction and non-fiction. Godey's Lady's Book began with the June 1830 issue. Louis Antoine Godey, (1804 -1878) the son of French immigrants to America, was the publisher and editor from his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although for years, the American magazine copied British articles, it still outdistanced its biggest competition, Graham's Magazine, which had the same monthly format. Desiring to publish original content from American authors, Godey offered the highest payment per accepted article. This led to his eventual purchase of a smaller publication, Boston, Massachusetts' American Ladies' Magazine and Literary Gazette run by Sara Josepha Hale (1788-1879). She founded her magazine in 1828 with the purpose of educating the complete woman with advice on health issues and activities for her children as well as the latest information on modern equipment such as the sewing machine. Hale always insisted on original work. Godey hired Hale to bring editorial credibility to his publication. She proved to be a clever marketer to boot, appealing to the male populace to purchase subscriptions for the women in their families by convincing them was a gift that would enlighten and entertain. Hale said, "The time of action is now. We have to sow the fields - the harvest is sure. The greatest triumph of this progression is redeeming woman from her inferior position and placing her side by side with man, a help-mate for him in all his pursuits." Contributors to Godey's Ladys Book included Edgar Allen Poe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Harriet Beecher Stowe. However by 1840, contributors were solely women. Each issue was $3.00 or 11 issues for $27.50. When the magazine was copyrighted, it upset newspapers that plagiarized articles. But the only place to find the contents of Godey's Lady's Book was now in the magazine itself, so circulation rose. Just before the Civil War in 1860, circulation was well over 150,000. The Civil War itself was little reported upon lest it disturb the sensibilities of the readership that bought the magazine as an escape. The magazine's content included accounts of the lives of European royal families. Keeping abreast of the upper crust gave an indication to the regular folk of what they might expect for fashions in the future. Other features included mail order advertisements whereby readers could go straight to the manufacturer for whatever item they'd seen advertised in the magazine, including house plans. Eventually, Godey sold his gem and Hale retired in 1877. 1898 saw the final issue of Godeys Lady's Book. With the team of Hale and Godey, Godeys Lady's Book was considered to be one of the best resources on life and living during the Victorian era. And still today, countless women's magazines as well as this website, follow many of Louis A. Godey's ideas for articles for women set down in those glorious Victorian times where romance was queen, fashion was frilly and non-fiction pieces kept women apprised of progress in their world. |
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