Abstract

"Women Printers in the Early American Republic"

C.C. Borzilleri, George Washington University (ccborzilleri@gwmail.gwu.edu)

On January 20, 1820, Patty Fessenden’s husband, William, publisher of the Brattleboro Reporter,
died suddenly following a trip away from home. The next issue of the weekly paper, printed on
January 25, continued to list W. Fessenden as the publisher. By February 1, one week later, the
newspaper quietly shifted from W. to P. as the publisher’s first initial, signaling the shift from late
husband to wife with a short notice that the paper’s publication would “be continued in behalf of the
widow and heirs of William Fessenden, late publisher, deceased.” Throughout the year, Patty and
her children carried on the work that her husband had previously done, and by November 21, 1820,
Patty’s full name appeared not on the bottom corner on the last page of the paper, but proudly atop
the first page. “Published by PATTY FESSENDEN” would now greet each of her subscribers upon
first glance at the paper, unable to be missed. This paper explores the transformation of the
Brattleboro Reporter and the Salem Register, newspapers that widows of publishers continued after
their passing. In doing so, it will examine questions such as how did these women define themselves
and these papers under their leadership? How did they assert claims of both femininity and
professional expertise in the course of their publications? And how, if at all, did they communicate
the combined emotional and economic challenges they faced as business owners and widows to their
audience? Methodologies for this analysis will include a close, gendered reading of the papers
published both before and after the male publishers’ deaths and the widows’ reinvention of the
publication. As such, findings will contribute to new understandings of gender’s role in both print
culture and business leadership.