54 | Mass Media and Historical Change
(1747); and the English paper Lady’s Museum was turned into its German
equivalent Museum für Frauenzimmer (1790). Between 1720 and 1800 at
least 115 periodicals designed specifically for women circulated in Germany,
most of them appearing after 1780 but being short-lived (Weckel 1998: 26).
An important source was moral weekly periodicals, based on English models
and published under fictitious names, as demonstrated by titles such as Die
Braut, Das Mädchen and Die vernünftigen Tadlerinnen. Magazines targeting
women were generally published by men. When women contributed, their
writings were usually published anonymously (as was the case with Gottsched
and Klopstock’s wives). Nonetheless, this role-play was very important in that
it provided role models; these pseudonymous publishing personalities who
articulated their opinions could inspire women to try out their own authorial,
journalistic or editorial talents. Moreover, these magazines proved that there
was an undoubted demand for women’s journals.
In the German territories, women did not work as publishers until 1779.
About sixteen women edited newspapers in the last quarter of the eigh-
teenth century, although much like their male colleagues, many remained
anonymous. These women were exceptionally well educated; most were
Protestants and half were aristocrats, while the other half came from bour-
geois backgrounds. From 1796 onwards, women temporarily disappeared
from the publishing business. Ulrike Weckel has argued that professional-
isation and commercialisation of the literary trade necessitated well-estab-
lished names and were thus responsible for this development (Weckel 1998:
198, 307).
Compared to their English precursors, the content of German women’s
periodicals tended to be less sensationalist and of a more educational and lit-
erary nature. Reports on current politics, court cases or atrocities were not
included. Only in the wake of the French Revolution were there a few political
references and nationalistic tones. By the same token the newspapers were not
protofeminist in nature, as their female image instead reflected existing mid-
dle-class gender polarity. A few individual articles treated male condescension
and bourgeois role models as objects of derision, but generally the paper sup-
ported the attitude that women should not neglect their duties as housewives
in favour of reading and writing.
Be that as it may, these periodicals represented an important opening for
women to gain presence in the media sphere. Letters to the editor were an
exchange platform for communication, and the opportunity to submit their
own literary work motivated women to write publicly. In addition, they
encouraged women to subscribe in their own names and so demonstrate con-
tractual competence. The fact that lady’s periodicals were openly available in
libraries not only increased their reach; it also demonstrated their acceptance
among men (Weckel 1998: 61–67).