Louisa Knapp Curtis (October 21, 1851 – February 25, 1910), (also known as Louisa Knapp), was an American

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

and the first editor of the ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'' from 1883 to 1889. It became one of the most popular magazines published in the United States and reached a circulation of one million within ten years. Curtis turned over the editorship to

Edward Bok Edward William Bok (born Eduard Willem Gerard Cesar Hidde Bok) (October 9, 1863 – January 9, 1930) was a Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He was editor of the ''Ladies' Home Journal'' for 30 years (1889–1919). He ...

in 1889 but she continued to author a column and provide oversight. She was married to

Cyrus Curtis Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis (June 18, 1850June 7, 1933) was an American publisher of magazines and newspapers, including the '' Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''The Saturday Evening Post''.Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Busines ...

, head of the

Curtis Publishing Company The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home Jour ...

, and took over from her husband as the author of the

women's page The women's page (sometimes called home page or women's section) of a newspaper was a section devoted to covering news assumed to be of interest to women. Women's pages started out in the 19th century as society pages and eventually morphed into ...

monthly supplement ''Women at Home'' for the ''Tribune and Farmer'' weekly newspaper.

Early life

In 1875, Louisa Knapp married Cyrus Curtis when he was the publisher of ''The People's Ledger'' in Boston. They met while singing in a concert to celebrate the end of the Civil War. Louisa was working as a private secretary for

Samuel Gridley Howe Samuel Gridley Howe (November 10, 1801 – January 9, 1876) was an American physician, abolitionist, and advocate of education for the blind. He organized and was the first director of the Perkins Institution. In 1824 he had gone to Greece to ...

, a prominent Boston physician and husband of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

activist

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the " Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...

. After a fire destroyed the Boston publishing plant for Cyrus' newspaper, they moved to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1876 and he founded the ''Tribune and Farmer''.

Career

Cyrus was the original author of the ''Women and Home'' column in the ''Tribune and Farmer'' weekly newspaper. It was originally developed from articles clipped from other sources and surrounded by advertisements directed toward women. Louisa criticized the column to her husband since she felt it did not address the real concerns of women. She convinced her husband that she could do a better job and began to write original content directed toward women. The column proved extremely popular and soon grew to fill a full page. The Curtises decided to publish a monthly supplement that would be included in the ''Tribune and Farmer''. The first issue of the supplement was released in December 1883 and titled ''Ladies' Home Journal and Practical Housekeeper''. It was written by Louisa under her maiden name and published by her husband. The supplement proved so popular that it was expanded to a magazine and Louisa became the first editor. The magazine title was shortened to ''Ladies' Home Journal'' in 1886. In July 1889, the Curtises' decided to expand the magazine to a thirty-two page magazine with a cover. Louisa resigned as editor and Edward Bok became the new editor. Louisa Knapp Curtis gravestone

She died on February 25, 1910 in

Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania Cheltenham Township is a Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule township (Pennsylvania), township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Cheltenham's population density ranges from over 10,000 per square mile (25,900 per squa ...

and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in Philadelphia.

Family

Louisa and Cyrus Curtis had one child,

Mary Louise Curtis Mary Louise Curtis (August 6, 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts – January 4, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)Bok, Edward W. (1920) ''The Americanization of Edward Bok''. Lakeside Classics edition, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Chicago, Illinois, ...

, who married Edward Bok in 1896. She founded

Bok Tower Gardens Bok Tower Gardens is a contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States. Formerly known as the Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, the gardens' attractions include the ...

, the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

, the

Curtis Hall Arboretum The Curtis Arboretum is a arboretum in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. The arboretum was founded by Mary Louise Curtis Bok in honor of her father, Cyrus Curtis. The landscaping was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The arboretum is listed on the Natio ...

and the Curtis Center.

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Louisa Knapp 1851 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American women writers American magazine editors American women columnists Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Curtis family People from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania Secretaries Women magazine editors Ladies' Home Journal editors 19th-century American businesspeople