Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter
The Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter [sic] was an abolitionist and women's rights paper printed in Pittsburgh. Founded in 1847, the paper was edited by Jane Swisshelm and printed by Robert M. Riddle. It had good circulation numbers and ran until 1854.
History
Journalist Jane Swisshelm was the founder of the Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter [sic] and she funded the work through money in her own estate and printed the paper with Robert M. Riddle.[1][2] Swisshelm served as the editor and Riddle printing the paper.[2] At the time, the abolitionist newspaper in Pittsburgh had closed and a new paper was needed.[2] She launched the Saturday Visiter on December 20, 1847.[1] There were crowds actually waiting in the streets for the first issue.[3] Swisshelm's spelling of "visitor" as "visiter" was acceptable at the time and had precedent in such titles as the Baltimore Saturday Visiter and the Pittsburgh Saturday Evening Visiter.[4][5]
The Saturday Visiter published women's rights, temperance, and abolitionist editorials.[6] She also endorsed Free Soil arguments against slavery.[7] The paper had a good circulation with around 6,000 subscribers, though more subscribers actually lived outside of Pennsylvania.[6][2]
Eventually, Swisshelm started looking to sell the Visiter in 1853, and looked for someone with similar political views as herself.[8] After Swisshelm had a child, she realized that she was neglecting the work on the Visiter.[6] The paper itself went bankrupt by 1854, despite its good circulation and was sold to Riddle.[2] Riddle merged the paper with the weekly edition of his Commercial Journal, keeping Swisshelm on as editor.[9][10]
Reception
Frederick Douglass said, "There are few papers exerting greater influence than the Saturday Visiter, edited by Mrs. Swisshelm."[11]
References
- 1 2 Endres 1996, p. 285.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bashaar, Kathryn (March 21, 2020). "Robert M. Riddle". Kathryn Bashaar. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ↑ Blue 2005, p. 143.
- ↑ "Edgar Allan Poe: A Memorial Volume [Dedication of the Monument]". A Poe Bookshelf. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
During Poe's lifetime, the word 'visitor,' even in the United States, was commonly spelled as 'visiter.' Thus, the name of the newspaper for which Poe won the contest in 1833 was the Baltimore Saturday Visiter....
- ↑ "Saturday Evening Visiter (Pittsburgh [Pa.]) 1834-1836". Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries. Library of Congress. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Endres 1996, p. 287.
- ↑ Blue 2005, p. 144.
- ↑ Pierson 2003, p. 59.
- ↑ Blue 2005, p. 153.
- ↑ "The Saturday Evening Visitor [sic]". The Daily Pittsburgh Gazette. January 30, 1854. p. 2.
- ↑ Pierson 2003, p. 57.
Sources
- Blue, Frederick J. (2005). No Taint of Compromise: Crusaders in Antislavery Politics. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 9780807132050.
- Endres, Kathleen L. (1996). "Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter". In Endres, Kathleen L.; Lueck, Therese L. (eds.). Women's Periodicals in the United States: Social and Political Issues. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 284–290. ISBN 0313286329.
- Pierson, Michael D. (2003). Free Hearts and Free Homes: Gender and American Antislavery Politics. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807854556.