A Monument to the Memory of George Eliot: Edith J. Simcox's Autobiography of a Shirtmaker

TheAutobiographyis the personal journal of an independent Victorian woman who describes her day-to-day activities as a businesswoman, social reformer, scholar, and journalist; makes many insightful observations on gender issues; and provides intriguing details of her relationships with many of the leading political and literary figures of her day, particularly the novelist George Eliot, whom she admired as a writer and as a person During the journal years, 1876-1900, Simcox made many significant contributions toward improving people's lives, but she was always particularly concerned with women's issues. With her friend Mary Hamilton, she established a shirtmaking cooperative to provide employment for women, kept the accounts, and managed the enterprise. She helped establish trade unions and promote women's suffrage, served as a delegate to the Trade Union Congress, and worked closely with Emma Paterson, Annie Besant, Harriet Law, Charles Bradlaugh, and William Morris. Simcox was also theauthor of three books and a regular contributor to leading periodicals TheAutobiographyreveals Simcox's childhood, her attitudes toward men and marriage, and her relationships with her mother and her two older brothers, both noted writers. The journal provides unique insights into the mind of a remarkable 19th-century woman who worked in and left her mark on a man's world. Her book is a fascinating source of facts, observations, and opinions for scholars and readers interested in Eliot, Victorian literature, and society, gender and women's issues.