MOTHERS' AND YOUNG LADIES' GUIDE - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The MOTHERS' AND YOUNG LADIES' GUIDE was not only the first magazine believed to have been published in Cleveland but also the only women's periodical issued at the time in the West. Published by TIMOTHY H. SMEAD†, proprietor of the OHIO CITY ARGUS, and edited by Mrs. MARIA M. HERRICK†, it first appeared in June 1837. Although its subscribers ranged from New York to Illinois, the Guide circulated primarily in the WESTERN RESERVE. Sixteen pages in length, it sold for $1 per year. The Guide devoted its columns almost exclusively to domesticity and sentimentality, with hardly a gesture toward militance or protest. Among its contents were such titles as "Female Education," "Evils of Tight Lacing," "How to Ruin a Son," and "Ought Ladies to Write?" Most of its material during the first 2 years appeared to be original, some of it by males. A dearth of paying subscribers clouded the Guide's last year of publication. Although expanded to 32 pages, it began to be filled almost entirely with long reprinted articles. After a combined issue for Dec.-Jan., the Guide expired with the completion of its 3rd volume, in May 1840.

Related Article(s)

• COMMUNICATIONS
• WOMEN AND WOMEN'S ISSUES