Founding of The Female Spectator
- When
- 1744–1746
- Where
- England
- Episodes
- 3
Eliza Haywood anonymously launched The Female Spectator in April 1744. This monthly periodical, published in England until 1746, is generally considered the first English periodical written by a woman for women.
Episodes
- Publication Run
The periodical ran for 24 numbers between 1744 and 1746, outlasting many contemporaries.
- Editorial Approach and Reception
Haywood used personae to discuss social issues, aiming for broad readership that included men.
- Anonymous Launch
The Female Spectator was launched anonymously in April 1744 as a monthly publication.
Background and detail
Launch. The periodical was launched anonymously in April 1744. It was published on a monthly basis and eventually ran for 24 numbers, which was a longer run than most periodicals of that era.
Content and Reception. Haywood wrote using four personae to discuss marriage, education, and conduct. She aimed for universal readership, and a poem in The Gentleman's Magazine in December 1744 suggests the paper was read by at least some men.
People involved
- Eliza Haywood · Founder and Writer
Sources
- The Female Spectator Wikipedia, revision of 2025-03-04
- Eliza Haywood Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.