''Shafts'' was an English feminist magazine produced by

Margaret Sibthorp Margaret Sibthorp (; – 23 May 1916) was an English feminist activist, writer, magazine editor and theosophist. She founded, then edited the "pioneering women's periodical" ''Shafts'' from 1892 until 1899. Sibthorp described it as "the outg ...

from 1892 until 1899. Initially published weekly and priced at one

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

, its themes included votes for women, women's education, and radical attitudes towards vivisection, dress reform, women's control of their sexuality, child care, and vegetarianism.

History

The first issue of ''Shafts'' was published in November 1892. It was founded and edited by

and was initially funded by an anonymous friend. By June 1893, however, Sibthorp had begun to appeal to readers for financial support. Owing to a lack of funds ''Shafts'' became a monthly publication in 1893, having initially been published weekly. Sibthorp was forced to downsize the magazine's London offices near the Strand—which had once been the location for women's classes, lecture courses and meetings—to a single room, before relocating to her home in suburban

West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to ...

in 1895. In 1898 the frequency of publication was slowed from monthly to bi-monthly, and in 1899, following an announcement that it would henceforth become quarterly, ''Shafts'' ceased publication altogether, with the final issue being published in October. The magazine's decline has been attributed to Sibthorp's refusal to follow the emerging New Journalism' formula of information, gossip and entertainment", which led to ''Shafts loss of readers to competing publications. ''Shafts'' was sold for one

and was targeted towards lower-middle class women. Most of the magazine's correspondents and contributing writers—with Sibthorp as a notable exception—were published under pseudonyms.

Content

''Shafts''' themes included votes for women, women's education, and "radical" attitudes towards vivisection, dress reform, women's control of their sexuality, child care, and vegetarianism. In 1897, in the regular section titled "What the Editor Means", Sibthorp described the magazine's mission:

The aim of ''Shafts'' is to awaken thought; to induce people to ask why, to question—Is the condition of things I see around me right and just? Is this that I have believed, spiritually, morally, socially, the truth? Am I justified in remaining content with this or that, because my grandparents and parents saw no harm in it, or is it my duty to look into my light, and if I find it but dim, to search humbly and determinedly for a truer and brighter light by which to study my daily tasks?

It published literary criticism, including works about Shakespearean characters,

feminist poetry Feminist poetry is inspired by, promotes, or elaborates on feminist principles and ideas. It might be written with the conscious aim of expressing feminist principles, although sometimes it is identified as feminist by critics in a later era. Some w ...

, and book recommendations for young women. Sibthorp was a member of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

, which was reflected in ''Shafts extensive coverage of occult and psychical topics. As noted by Claudia Nelson in her book ''Invisible Men'', ''Shafts'' "offered little factual reportage" and instead largely consisted of opinion pieces, correspondence columns, short stories and poetry. In an August 1893 editorial, Sibthorp stated that ''Shafts purpose was to promote knowledge amongst women: "that women must first ''know'' all things, ere they can judge of an evil, or any proposed remedy for an evil". Articles and editorials encouraged women to pursue "an education that might emancipate them from patriarchal assumptions". Kate Flint notes in her book ''The Woman Reader, 1837–1914'', that ''Shafts'' was one of few feminist periodicals at the time that promoted the furthering of women's rights through education in traditionally male-oriented domains, rather than through protection and control. The cover of ''Shafts'' depicted a woman with a bow shooting an arrow ("shaft") labelled "wisdom", "truth" and "justice".

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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Shafts
' archive at the LSE Digital Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Shafts 1892 establishments in the United Kingdom 1899 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Bi-monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct women's magazines published in the United Kingdom English-language magazines Feminism in England Feminist magazines Magazines disestablished in 1899 Magazines established in 1892 Magazines published in London Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom