What to know about The Lily of 1849
10 facts about the first U.S. newspaper by women and its founder, Amelia Bloomer
In 1849, The Lily began inside Amelia Bloomer’s Seneca Falls home.
Bloomer’s husband “threw cold water” on the idea. She still became the first woman to publish a U.S. paper.
Well-known suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton joined Bloomer’s cause, eventually moving the focus from temperance to issues like the right to vote and own property.
Stanton wrote for The Lily, signing her articles as “Sunflower.” Susan B. Anthony helped spread the word by sharing it with her friends.
Bloomer was responsible for introducing the two suffragists. They met after an anti-slavery meeting. Friends forever.
Bloomer debuted a new practical style of dress for women. She said:
The new garment was dubbed ‘bloomers’ after Bloomer herself, even though she wasn’t the first to wear them. (Whoops…)
She never liked the name of the paper but she dealt with it. Rebranding was just too hard.
She sold the paper in 1854 and continued writing for it until December 1856, when The Lily published its final issue.
161 years later, The Lily is back.
Illustrations by Lucy Cahill for The Lily
