Mary L. Booth

Mary Louise Booth (April 19, 1831 to March 5, 1889) was an American editor, translator and author who was the first editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar. She left her home in New York City aged 18 and learned the vestmaker's trade whilst devoting evenings to study and writing. Her tales and sketches were pubklished by various newspapers and magazines without payment. She did reporting and book-reviewing for several journals for no monetary payment but was occasionally paid in kind with books. Her view was that: "It is my college, and I must learn my business before I can demand pay." Over time she was given more and more literary work to do, and as her circle of friends widened they beginning to appreciate her literary abilities. By the end of the Civil War she had so proved her abilities that Harper's Bazaar offered her the position of editor, a position she held from 1867 up to her death.