Matilda Mary Hays (8 September 1820 – 3 July 1897) was a 19th-century English writer, journalist and part-time actress. With
Elizabeth Ashurst, Hays translated several of
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...
's works into English. She co-founded the ''
English Woman's Journal
The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 a ...
''. Her love interests included the actress
Charlotte Cushman
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (July 23, 1816 – February 18, 1876) was an American stage actress. Her voice was noted for its full contralto register, and she was able to play both male and female parts. She lived intermittently in Rome, in an expa ...
, with whom she had a 10-year relationship, and the poet
Adelaide Anne Procter
Adelaide Anne Procter (30 October 1825 – 2 February 1864) was an English poet and philanthropist.
Her literary career began when she was a teenager, her poems appearing in Charles Dickens's periodicals ''Household Words'' and '' All the ...
.
Early life
Hays was born in London on 8 September 1820,
the daughter of a corn merchant named John Hays and his wife Elizabeth Mary Atkinson.
Elizabeth had previously been married to Jacob Breese until his death in February 1807, giving Matilda two elder half-sisters, Emma Marianne and Clara,
who married Frederick Salmon in 1830. Matilda's full siblings were Elizabeth, Susanna and Albert.
Hays was identified as a
Creole or, according to
Joseph Parkes
Joseph Parkes (22 January 1796 – 11 August 1865) was an English political reformer.
Born into Unitarian Whig circles, Parkes developed an association with the Philosophical Radicals. In 1822 he established a Birmingham solicitor's practice spec ...
, half Creole. If this is true, it must be through her mother's side, as her father's family were Londoners going back at least three generations.
Career
She wrote articles for periodicals, often regarding women's issues, starting about 1838.
The periodicals included ''
The Mirror'' and ''
Ainsworth's Magazine
William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 18053 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in ...
''.
Hays, influenced by
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...
, was a journalist and novelist who was "determined to use her writing to improve the condition of women." In her novel ''Helen Stanley'', Hays wrote that until "Women teach their daughters to respect themselves,... to work for their daily bread, rather than prostitute their persons and hearts" in marriages, women would not have secure financial and social futures.
George Sand translations
As
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...
's
free love
Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern ...
and independent lifestyle were unusual for a 19th-century woman, Hays and her friend
Elizabeth Ashurst were "broad-minded" and intrigued by the political and social messages addressed in Sand's books. Hays had received support and encouragement from
William Charles Macready
William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor.
Life
He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
and
George Henry Lewes
George Henry Lewes (; 18 April 1817 – 30 November 1878) was an English philosopher and critic of literature and theatre. He was also an amateur physiologist. American feminist Margaret Fuller called Lewes a "witty, French, flippant sort of m ...
to translate Sand's novels into English. Both men wrote to Sand encouraging the arrangement and a friend of Hays, chaplain
Edmund Larken, provided funding for the enterprise.
The initial translations of Sand's works were undertaken by Hays, Ashurst and, Larken. ''La Dernière Aldini,'' the first volume, was translated by Hays. Ashurst translated ''Les Maîtres mosaïstes'' and it was published in 1844. Hays's friend the Italian revolutionary
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
wrote a preface for Ashurt's translation of ''Lettres d'un voyageur''. Sand, at Mazzini's urging, invited Ashurt to her home in Nohant. Olive Class reported that "Sand was unsettled by the superficial display of feminist rebellion exhibited by her as yet still unmarried disciple and characterized her as 'a prude without modesty.'"
George Henry Lewes suggested to Hays that the translation to the English language also toned down some of the rhetoric with an English cultural sensibility.
Mazzini, aware of Lewes's suggestion to Hays, wrote to Sand, referring to Hays: "My friends and I consider it unthinkable that you would be willing to give such license to someone whose ideas are unknown to you."
Four volumes of Sand's work were translated by Hays and Ashurst and published, but they floundered. In attempting to tone down Sand's ideas, the translated books were "stripped it of its power," according to mazzini. The translations were "a smuggler's attempt to conceal the real nature of his infamous cargo," reported the ''
Quarterly Review
The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River ...
''.
Both Hays and Ashurst also had poor financial rewards, due to the arrangement that they had made with a "bad business publisher."
Ashurst and Hays worked to find publishers for their translated and edited versions of Sands' work.
Larken's work with Hays and Ashurst came to an end in 1847.
Hays translation of ''Fadette'' was published in 1851, separate from Ashurst.
Woman's journal
Early attempt
In 1847, Hays pursued creation of a Woman's journal, patterned after the American ''
Godey's Lady's Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...
,'' to offer a vehicle for women writers and to provide a platform for discourse about women's rights, including better educational and occupational opportunities. Her goal was to afford "free discussion of a subject for which at that time it was impossible to obtain a hearing through ordinary channels of the Press." Charlotte Cushman and her friend, Mary Howitt, helped her explore opportunities to have the journal founded, but realized it was not quite the time to launch the journal and decided to focus her energy on advocacy for the present.
''Eliza Cook's Journal''
Shortly after Hays' unsuccessful attempt, poet
Eliza Cook
Eliza Cook (24 December 181823 September 1889) was an English author and poet associated with the Chartist movement. She was a proponent of political freedom for women, and believed in the ideology of self-improvement through education, some ...
started a self-named journal and Hays was a journalistic contributor to the magazine. The journal was "a compendium of
essay
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
s,
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 ...
, reviews, and
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
that particularly addressed issues such as women's education,
dress reform
Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...
,
temperance
Temperance may refer to:
Moderation
*Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed
*Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion
Culture
*Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
, and the plight of the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
and
domestic servants
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
.
''English Woman's Journal''
Hays was one of the co-founders and editor of the ''
English Woman's Journal
The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 a ...
''
in 1858. It was in 1858 founded by
Barbara Bodichon and
Bessie Rayner Parkes
Elizabeth Rayner Belloc (; 16 June 1829 – 23 March 1925) was one of the most prominent English feminists and campaigners for women's rights in Victorian times and also a poet, essayist and journalist.
Early life
Bessie Rayner Parkes was b ...
, with others, Bodichon being the major shareholder.
The
Society for Promoting the Employment of Women
The Society for Promoting the Employment of Women (SPEW) was one of the earliest British women's organisations.
The society was established in 1859 by Jessie Boucherett, Barbara Bodichon and Adelaide Anne Proctor to promote the training and emplo ...
and the
Victoria Press
The Victoria Press was a printing press started by Emily Faithfull, along with other feminist activists, in London, on March 26, 1860. The press, named after Queen Victoria, was created as a way to allow more women into the printing field. In 1867 ...
, which Hays helped found, met at the
Langham Place offices of the journal.
These premises had been obtained by her close friend
Theodosia Blacker, Lady Monson for her. Monson also arranged for the offices and the reading room to be furnished and it became a de facto women's club offering meals, drinks, periodicals and newspapers. Morton became a director in 1860 and she helped with the administration. Monson also paid for the building to be re-furnished in 1863.
Hays had left the journal by 1864, reputedly because of her "difficult temperament." She had often disagreed with Parkes, her co-editor, about the journal's direction.
Acting
In 1848, there was a convergence of financial need, the "small fortune" Hays received was lost due to her father's depleted financial situation, and
Charlotte Cushman
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (July 23, 1816 – February 18, 1876) was an American stage actress. Her voice was noted for its full contralto register, and she was able to play both male and female parts. She lived intermittently in Rome, in an expa ...
's sister was leaving the stage, which created an acting opportunities. Charlotte's sister,
Susan Webb Cushman, who played Juliet to Charlotte's Romeo, left the stage to marry a successful Liverpool scientist,
James Sheridan Muspratt.
The women practiced together at the
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
estate of the
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
for 6 October 1848 opening in Bath. Hays acted with Cushman for just a few months, as Cushman increasingly became a star.
Published works
George Sand translations
Ashurst translated the following books:
* Sand, George. (1842). ''Spiridion''. Transl. Eliza A. Ashurst. Ed. by Matilda M. Hays. London: Churton.
* Sand, George. (1847). ''Letters of a Traveller''. Transl. by Eliza A. Ashurst. Ed. by Matilda M. Hays.
ntroduction by J. Mazzini London: Churton, 1847.
* Sand, George. (1847). ''The Works of George Sand''. By Matilda M. Hays.
ranslated by Matilda M. Hays, Eliza A. Ashurst, and E. R. Larken.
* Sand, George. (1847). ''Andre. Transl. Eliza A. Ashurst, Ed. by Matilda M. Hays. London: Churton.
* Sand, George. (1851). ''Fadette''. Transl. Matilda Hays.
Novels
*
*
Personal life
She had close personal relationships with
Charlotte Cushman
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (July 23, 1816 – February 18, 1876) was an American stage actress. Her voice was noted for its full contralto register, and she was able to play both male and female parts. She lived intermittently in Rome, in an expa ...
,
Adelaide Anne Procter
Adelaide Anne Procter (30 October 1825 – 2 February 1864) was an English poet and philanthropist.
Her literary career began when she was a teenager, her poems appearing in Charles Dickens's periodicals ''Household Words'' and '' All the ...
and
Harriet Hosmer
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (October 9, 1830 – February 21, 1908) was a neoclassical sculptor, considered the most distinguished female sculptor in America during the 19th century. She is known as the first female professional sculptor. Among other ...
.
Charlotte Cushman
Hays and
Charlotte Cushman
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (July 23, 1816 – February 18, 1876) was an American stage actress. Her voice was noted for its full contralto register, and she was able to play both male and female parts. She lived intermittently in Rome, in an expa ...
met between 1846
and 1848. Soon after, they began a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
affair, a relationship they maintained for nearly 10 years, and in Europe were publicly known as a couple.
[Charlotte Cushman biography]
on glbtq.com
glbtq.com (also known as the glbtq Encyclopedia Project) was an online encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( GLBTQ) culture. Launched in 2003, it was edited by Claude J. Summers, emeritus professor at the University of ...
. Accessed online 9 November 2006 Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime.
Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...
commented, "I understand that she (Cushman) and Miss Hays have made vows of celibacy and of eternal attachment to each other -- they live together, dress alike,... it is a female marriage." They wore tailored shirts and jackets. Matilda was often referred to by their friends as Mathew or Max.
In 1852, Cushman retired from the stage and joined Hays in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, Italy, where the lived in an American expatriate community, made up mostly of lesbian artists and sculptors. In 1854, Hays left Cushman for
Harriet Hosmer
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (October 9, 1830 – February 21, 1908) was a neoclassical sculptor, considered the most distinguished female sculptor in America during the 19th century. She is known as the first female professional sculptor. Among other ...
, which launched a series of jealous interactions among the three women. Hays eventually returned to live with Cushman, but the tensions between her and Cushman would never be repaired. By late 1857, Cushman was secretly involved with
Emma Stebbins
Emma Stebbins (1 September 1815 - 25 October 1882) was an American sculptor and the first woman to receive a public art commission from New York City. She was best known for her work ''Angel of the Waters (1873)'', also known as Bethesda Fountain ...
. One night while Cushman was writing a note, Hays walked in, suspected that the note was to Stebbins, and demanded to see it. Cushman refused and Hays became mad and chased her round the house, hitting her with her fists. The relationship ended and Hays sued Cushman, claiming that she sacrificed her career to support Cushman's career. Cushman made a payment to Hays and their relationship ended.
[
]
Adelaide Anne Procter
Hays was believed to have had a love interest in Adelaide Anne Proctor
Adelaide Anne Procter (30 October 1825 – 2 February 1864) was an English poet and philanthropist.
Her literary career began when she was a teenager, her poems appearing in Charles Dickens's periodicals '' Household Words'' and '' All the ...
, who dedicated ''Legends and Lyrics'' to her with:
She also wrote a love poem for Hays entitled, ''A Retrospect.'' Hays oversaw the tending of Procter's grave after her death and mourned her passing throughout her later years.
Theodosia Blacker, Lady Monson
Theodosia Blacker, Lady Monson (1803–1891) was a promoter of women's rights who rented 19 Langham Place as a homeplace for the Langham Place group
The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 a ...
, a circle of like-minded women who gathered there. She was the last companion of Hays.
Later years and death
Hays died in Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at 15 Sefton Drive in Toxteth Park, on 3 July 1897. Although Adelaide Procter had died 30 years before Hays, the ''Liverpool Echo'' obituary stated that she had been "the dear friend of Adelaide Procter, gone before."
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Matilda
19th-century British actresses
British stage actresses
British expatriates in Italy
British women journalists
19th-century English women writers
19th-century British novelists
British feminist writers
1820 births
1897 deaths
English women novelists
19th-century British journalists
19th-century translators
Lesbian feminists
19th-century LGBT people