The ''Lowell Offering'' was a monthly

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also examples ...

collected contributed works of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and fiction by the female textile workers (young women ge 15–35known as the Lowell Mill Girls) of the

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

s of the early American

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. It began in 1840 and lasted until 1845.

History

The ''Offering'' was initially organized in 1840 by the Reverend Abel Charles Thomas (1807–1880) pastor of the Second Universalist Church. From October 1840 to March 1841, it consisted of articles from many of the local improvement circles or literary societies. Later, it became broader in scope and received more spontaneous contributions from Lowell's female textile workers. The ''Offering'' had hundreds of subscribers and supporters from throughout New England, United States, and among foreign visitors. As its popularity grew, workers contributed poems, ballads, essays and fiction – often using their characters to report on conditions and situations in their lives. The contents of the magazine alternated between serious and farcical. In the first issue, "A Letter about Old Maids" suggested that "sisters, spinsters, lay-nuns, &c" were an essential component of God's "wise design". Later issues – particularly in the wake of labor unrest in the factories – included an article about the value of organizing and an essay about suicide among the Lowell girls. Among its contributors: Eliza G. Cate,

Betsey Guppy Chamberlain Betsey Guppy Chamberlain (1797–1886) was a textile mill worker who wrote sketches and poetry that were published in ''The Lowell Offering''. Her co-worker, Harriet Hanson Robinson claimed that Chamberlain "had inherited Indian blood" and some so ...

, Abba Goddard,

Lucy Larcom Lucy Larcom (March 5, 1824 – April 17, 1893) was an American teacher, poet, and author. She was one of the first teachers at Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in Norton, Massachusetts, teaching there from 1854 to 1862. During that ...

Harriet Hanson Robinson Harriet Jane Hanson Robinson (February 8, 1825 – December 22, 1911) worked as a bobbin doffer in a Massachusetts cotton mill and was involved in a turnout, became a poet and author, and played an important role in the women's suffrage movement i ...

, and

Augusta Harvey Worthen Augusta Harvey Worthen (, Harvey; pen name, Augusta H. Worthen; September 27, 1823 – April 4, 1910) was an American educator and author of the long nineteenth century. She taught school, and wrote poetry and prose. Her greatest work was the his ...

. Many women who worked in the mills, such as Ellen Collins, were unhappy with the conditions and hours they were forced to work. They did not like the constant noise and bells that they heard during their shifts, and often had the desire to return to their homes to work on farms rather than in the factories. With them having the desire to go back home, many women also missed their families and wished to go back to them as well. However, the appeal of education and self-sufficiency drew many young women in, and they used the opportunities they received at the Lowell Mills to learn. They learned to read and write, as well as practicing music and foreign languages. Harriet Farley, against her family and friends wishes, left Atkinson, New Hampshire in 1838 to work in Lowell's

s. In Lowell, although working 11 to 13 hours a day, and living in a crowded company boardinghouse, she felt a sense of freedom to “read, think and write…without restraint.” She was soon contributing articles to the newly formed ''Lowell Offering,'' and in 1842 along with

Harriot Curtis Harriot Sumner Curtis (June 30, 1881 – October 25, 1974) was an American amateur golfer and an early participant in the sport of skiing. From the Manchester, Massachusetts area, she was one of ten children. Her father was a colonel in the Unio ...

became its co-editor. The magazine was revived in 1848 as the '' New England Offering'' (1848–1850), publishing contributions from working women throughout New England.

Notable people

* Harriet Farley *

* Sarah Bagley * Abba Goddard * Eliza Jane Cate * Harriot F. Curtis

Other uses

The

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public u ...

currently uses the title for its student

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

as an

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

References

Bibliography

Lowell Offering at the Center for Lowell History, UMass Lowell

External links

* Hathi Trust
Lowell Offering
fulltext

as collected in the ''Lowell Offering'', 1841.
Mind Amongst the Spindles
(Selections from the Lowell Offering) * UMass Lowell
New England Offering Index
by Judith Ranta {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowell Offering Defunct literary magazines published in the United States History of Massachusetts History of women in Massachusetts Magazines established in 1840 Magazines disestablished in 1845 Magazines published in Massachusetts Mass media in Lowell, Massachusetts Monthly magazines published in the United States Poetry magazines published in the United States 1840 establishments in Massachusetts 1845 disestablishments in Massachusetts