The ''New England Offering'' was a collection of journal entries that were written by female mill workers in New England mills. Many of the women who were contributing to the magazine were working in mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. The “Lowell Offering” was a collection of narratives where women shared their works in a intellectual and cultural publication. The contributors took great pride in the magazine. The “Lowell Offering” gained a great deal amount of popularity. It was read by famous writers such as Charles Dickens,

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

, and George Sand. The “Lowell Offering” lost momentum after the opinions of the writers moved towards areas that mill owners did not agree with. The “New England Offering” was established after controversy with the

Lowell Offering The ''Lowell Offering'' was a monthly periodical collected contributed works of poetry and fiction by the female textile workers (young women ge 15–35known as the Lowell Mill Girls) of the Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills of the early Americ ...

erupted and the editors

Harriet Farley Harriet Jane Farley (February 18, 1812, Claremont, New Hampshire – November 12, 1907, New York City, New York) was an American writer and abolitionist, editor of the ''Lowell Offering'' from 1842–1845, and editor of the '' New England Of ...

and Harriott F. Curtis had to discontinue the “Lowell Offering” and start a new magazine. The magazine's first issue appeared in September 1847, and Farley ended publication with the March 1850 issue.

Purpose

The purpose of the magazine was to shed light on what women who were working in mills were like. It was very common for people to believe that women working in the mills were uneducated and simply there to work. However many women who were working the mills wanted to purpose intellectual and cultural activities. The women who were contributing to the magazine wanted to alter the views that European social reformers and union supporters had on factory girls. The magazine was also written to emphasize that self-improvement was vital when becoming a lady. The magazine aimed to continue a women’s education, even though they were working. The “New England Offering” was a way for mill workers who were traditionally lower-class citizens to become published. It encouraged education amongst the workers who contributed to the magazine and let women express their creative side.

The “New England Offering” consisted of poems. songs, daily accounts, historical, religious, fictional and travel narratives. Many of the contents are short stories and accounts that showcase a woman’s creative abilities. Some of the contents include information about what it was like on a daily basis for mill workers, what it means to be kind to strangers, the mill they were working in, and prayers.

Editors

The two editors and for the “New England Offering” were Harriot F. Curtis and

. Harriet Farley became a contributor to the “Lowell Offering” after she worked in a mill. As she continued to write for the magazine, and the controversy with the journal rose she took a more authoritative role and become the editor, publisher, and proprietor for the new and improved magazine, the “New England Offering”. Farley was very passionate about the magazine and worked so that women would be able to share their writings, regardless of what mill owners thought. There is not a great deal amount of information about Curtis’ contribution to the Offering or her life. Curtis and Farley were full-time employees for the magazine.Ranta, Judith. "New England Offering." New England Offering. January 1, 1850. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://library.uml.edu/clh/NewOff.html.

Notes

References

*Dublin, Thomas. Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1826-1860. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979. *Eisenmann, Linda. "L." In Historical Dictionary of Women's Education in the United States, 232-255. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998. *Farley, Harriet, ed. “New England Offering. Vol. 1-3. Westport: Greenwood Reprint Corporation, 1970. *Ranta, Judith. "New England Offering." New England Offering. January 1, 1850. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://library.uml.edu/clh/NewOff.html. {{Authority control 1847 establishments in Massachusetts 1850 disestablishments in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Defunct women's magazines published in the United States Magazines disestablished in 1850 Magazines established in 1847 Magazines published in Massachusetts

Purpose

Contents

Editors

See also

Notes

References