Eliza Anderson Godefroy (1780 – 1839). Pioneer American editor and writer, best known as the first woman to edit a general-interest magazine in the United States.ALS. 3 pages. Baltimore, May 23, 1807. 5" x 7 1/2". To the editor of The Boston Anthology;
“The editor of the Observer, feels in no small degree flattered by the notice of the conductors of the Anthology”.
“But a timid adventurer in the Republic of Letters & very scantily suppled with that assistance, of which when she entered on the task of Editor she received ample promises, she cannot hope that the Observer is always such, as to merit being viewed by the eye of task & science. She therefore would never have intruded it on the attention of the enlightend Editors of the Anthology; & viewed she trusts from their gallantry, the will look with indulgence on the attempts to forward the cause of literature made by a female, in a city where perhaps never was a greater dearth of taste & Literature.”
“Beatrice Ironside begs that the Anthology may be regularly forwarded, & persuaded that the Observer is by no means an equivalent for the useful & elegant work, she will gladly become a subscriber Y forward the amount of subscription in any way the Editors will take the trouble to indicate. “
“She has the honour to be with much respect, their obedt. Servt., Bearice Ironside, Baltimore, May 23, 1807.”
Eliza Anderson Godefroy (1780 – 1839). Pioneer American editor and writer, best known as the first woman to edit a general-interest magazine in the United States. Born in the late 18th century, she assumed editorial control of The Observer, a Baltimore-based literary magazine, in 1806. Using the pseudonym "Beatrice Ironside," she published essays, fiction, and social commentary that often challenged conventional gender roles and criticized the limitations placed on women in early American society. Her bold editorial voice and sharp wit made The Observer unique in its time, and her work helped open the door for more women to participate in journalism and public intellectual life.
Godefroy's tenure at The Observer was brief but influential. Her critiques of societal norms and her involvement in the male-dominated literary and publishing circles were considered controversial, and the magazine ultimately ceased publication in 1807. Despite the short run of the publication, her contributions marked an important moment in the history of American journalism. After her editorial work, she largely disappeared from the public record, though her legacy as a trailblazer for women in media continues to be acknowledged by scholars of early American literature and feminist history.
Ironside writes an interesting letter to the editors of the Boston Anthology in which she indicates that her “cause of literature made by a female…” would not become a journalistic threat to the established Boston Anthology. The Monthly Anthology, and Boston Review was published in Boston by the Anthology Society. This periodical, running from 1804 to 1811, was a significant literary magazine of its time, publishing original essays, reviews, and other literary pieces. It is considered a precursor to the North American Review. A superb and excessively rare letter from this important pioneering female journalist.
