Stronger Passions of the Mind

[Mary Robinson]
NYPL, Pforzheimer
Collection


Angelica’s Ladies
Library…
NYPL, Pforzheimer
Collection


Mrs. Jordan in the
Character of Hypolita
NYPL, Print Collection


Photographs of
British Algae
NYPL, Spencer
Collection

Comfort
NYPL, Pforzheimer
Collection


Passages from
My Autobiography
NYPL, Pforzheimer
Collection


I’ll Tell You What!
NYPL, Print Collection


Friendship Album
NYPL, Pforzheimer
Collection

The continuing spread of the print revolution that began with Gutenberg made the Romantic period an enormously fruitful time for readers, writers, and even visual artists. Growing numbers of readers supported growing numbers of books, newspapers, prints, and journals. The figure of the author gained a new glamour and mystique. Circulating libraries made books widely available, and reading aloud was a favorite pastime.

Women took up authorship for the sake of fame and artistic glory, but for practical reasons too: writing required no formal education beyond a knowledge of the genres, and no tools beyond paper and ink. Books could be published anonymously, and written from home. Thus, some of the legal obstacles that women endured—they were barred from universities and most jobs—could be evaded by working with a pen. New genres, such as the annuals—pretty, highly illustrated gift books—and the increasing number of works for children provided outlets for women’s writing. But above all, women wrote novels, a wildly popular genre; they produced everything from trash to masterpieces. However, it was poetry that brought the greatest critical esteem, and women like Felicia Hemans competed with Lord Byron in sales.

The visual arts were not so profitable for women, since oil painting required professional training and unladylike self-promotion. But all genteel girls learned to draw, and some, such as Lady Diana Beauclerk, did forge professional careers. Others, like Anna Atkins, an early photographer, brought extraordinary dedication and skill to their amateur work.