C.E. Humphry (1843–1925), who often worked under the pseudonym "Madge", was a well-known journalist in Victorian-era England who wrote for and about issues relevant to women of the time. She wrote, edited and published many works throughout her career and is perhaps best known for originating what was known as the "Lady's Letter"-style column she wrote for the publication ''

Truth Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...

'', read throughout the British Empire. She was one of the first woman journalists in England. The subject matter about which she wrote could be compared to that of

Emily Post Emily Post ( Price; October 27, 1872 – September 25, 1960) was an American author, novelist, and socialite famous for writing about etiquette. Early life and education Post was born Emily Bruce Price in Baltimore, Maryland, possibly in Octob ...

Ann Landers Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular featur ...

Life

Background

Charlotte Eliza Humphry, née Graham, was born at

Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...

, Co. Tyrone, on 12 July 1843, the daughter of Rev. James Graham and his wife Eliza (formerly Grayson, nee Raleigh). Her father was the Senior Curate of

St Columb's Cathedral St Columb's Cathedral in the walled city of Derry, Northern Ireland, is the cathedral church and episcopal see of the Church of Ireland's Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. It is also the parish church of Templemore. It is dedicated to Saint Columba ...

and Surrogate of the Diocese of Londonderry; he published a series of essays in opposition to

Puseyite The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Uni ...

tractarianism and died when Charlotte was less than two years old. Her grandfather, Rev. John Graham (1774-1844), was a prominent figure in the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

and historian of the

Williamite War The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobite supporters of James II and those of his successor, William III, it resulted in a Williamite victory. It is generally viewed as a related conflic ...

in Ireland. Her sister Frances married John Wylkins Coppin, brother of

Louisa Coppin Louisa Coppin or Little Weesy (7 September 1845 – 27 May 1849) was a supposed Irish ghost. Biography Louisa Coppin was born at Ivy House, 34 Strand Road, Derry on 7 September 1845. She was the third child of William Coppin and his wife Dora. S ...

Education and early career

Charlotte was educated in Dublin. In adulthood she moved to London; by 1871 she was teaching English in a boarding school for girls near

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

. She then had a secretarial role on the ''Drawing Room Gazette'', before in 1874 becoming editor of ''Sylvia's Journal''. Soon

Henry Du Pré Labouchère Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

offered her the opportunity to pen a gossip column for women in ''

''.

Marriage and family life

She married Joseph Albert Humphry on 5 March 1881. She afterwards lived in London where her daughter, Helen Pearl, who also became a journalist, was born in the following year.

Death

She died at Waverley Place,

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

, on 2 April 1925.

Journalistic career

Mrs. Humphry, a.k.a. Madge, began writing the "Girl's Gossip" column in ''Truth'' in 1873 and continued it throughout her career. Mrs. Humphry was one of the first female journalists to write a regular column devoted to women's issues. At the beginning of her career, there were very limited spaces devoted to women in newspapers and magazines. However, by the 1890s the idea of women making a career in journalism was considerably more acceptable than it had been thirty years previously. By then, women writers had become more visible in mainstream periodicals and specialist women's magazines. As Humphry herself commented in an interview for ''Women’s Life'': :''The scope of women's work in the journalistic world is much greater now. When I first became a journalist only a few papers published ladies' letters, and these dealt principally with domestic servants, the management of babies, and similar subjects. Now women go in for golf, bicycling, and other games; in fact, the athletic girl is a new development, and as woman's world is widened, so is the field for women writers.'' Others would later mimic her style. Humphry's columns regularly featured advice on domestic management, etiquette and manners, and getting on in English and foreign society. The articles also frequently contained recipes, which were "prepared by the very best cooks in England and on the Continent". By today's standards, these articles might be considered without focus since they often jumped from topic to topic, and would likely be found in the editorial section of a contemporary newspaper. A sample of her writing from 1887 in ''Truth'' can be foun
here
She went on to write all the dress and fashion articles for the '' Daily News'' and another "Lady's Letters" column for the ''Globe'', two popular daily newspapers at the time. She was also the editor of ''Sylvia's Home Journal''.''The Colac Herald'' (Vic. : 1875 - 1918). Friday 4 October 1901. "TRUTH'S" MADGE http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90559673 It is likely that she sustained her work for most, if not all, of these periodicals and newspapers in addition to publishing several of her own books, including: :* ''The Book of the Home: A Comprehensive Guide on All Matters Pertaining to the Household'', 1909, 6 volumes, Editor :* ''How to be Pretty Though Plain'', 1899 :* ''A word to women'', 1898 :* ''The Century Invalid Cookery Books'', 1989 :* ''Manners for men'', 1897 :* ''Manners for women'', 1897

Comprehensive bibliography

* ''Points Worth Noting for Women'', 1918 * ''The Book of the Home: A Comprehensive Guide on All Matters Pertaining to the Household'', 1909, 6 volumes, Editor * ''Etiquette for every day'', 1902 * ''Manners for girls'', 1901 * ''Beauty Adorned'', 1901 * ''Madge's Book of Cookery and Home Management'', 1901 * ''How to be Pretty Though Plain'', 1899 * ''A word to women'', 1898 * ''The Century Invalid Cookery Books'', 1989 * ''Manners for men'', 1897 * ''Manners for women'', 1897 * ''Cookery Up-to-Date'', 1896 * ''Housekeeping: A guide to domestic management'', in one volume, 1893

References

Additional References

*The Colac Herald (Vic. : 1875 - 1918). Friday 4 October 1901. ''"TRUTH'S" MADGE'

*New Zealand Newspaper, ''Star'', Issue 7161, 27 July 1901, Page 3. AMERICAN V. ENGLISH MANNERS

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS19010907.2.16&e=-------10-PubMetaTS-11-byDA---2%2522st%252Bjames%252Bpark%252Broad%2522--] *Project Gutenberg, Link to ''A Word to Women'', Mrs. C.E. Humphry

*University of California, Information, Education, Technology. Household Books Published in Britain. Listing of books classified under Humphry, Mrs Charlotte Eliza http://householdbooks.ucdavis.edu/authors/1310 *Fraser, Hilary, Green, Stephanie, Judith, Johnston (2003). ''Gender and the Victorian Periodical''. Cambridge University Press: U

*The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 February 1906. ''How to be Pretty Though Plain''

*Humphry Review of "Beauty Adorned" Otago Witness, Issue 2475, 21 August 1901, Page 70. The History of Godfrey Kince. "Beauty Adorne

*West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930) Oh! The Men. How They Dress

*Helen Long (1993). ''The Edwardian House: The Middle-class Home in Britain'', 1880-1914. Manchester University Press: UK.

*''Star'', Putanga 4322, 9 Hakihea 1893, Page 2. Literary Notes. London, 13 Oct

*''National Archives London University: London School of Economics, The Women's Library''. The archive consists of manuscript diaries (1912-1914, 1950-1956), manuscript notebooks which include some of her own poetry (1900-1922), publications by Adams and photographs of visits to Paris (1906, 1915)

*Room, Adrian (2010) ''Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins'': Fifth Ed. McFarland & Company Inc.: US.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Humphry, C.E. 1925 deaths Year of birth uncertain People from Omagh Writers from County Tyrone 19th-century Irish journalists 20th-century Irish journalists Irish expatriates in England Writers from London 19th-century Irish women journalists 20th-century Irish women journalists