Eliza Anderson Godefroy (pen name, Beatrice Ironside) is believed to be the first woman to edit a general-interest magazine in the United States.
Shortly thereafter, she decided to close The Companion and start a new magazine, The Observer, that would cover a broader range of subjects and adopt a more satirical tone.
[4] Anderson addressed the matter of her gender head-on, acknowledging that "much curiosity had been excited to know, what manner of woman our female editor may be" and introduced herself to her readership.
In one of the magazine's final issues, Anderson wrote, "It was a Woman who was [The Observer's] editor, this was all that was necessary to render its enemies BRAVE, and this was enough to embolden the most pusillanimous Wight to assume the garb of the Lion.
"[13] While there were certainly other reasons for the hostility Anderson encountered—her merciless satire, and the fact that her translation of Claire d'Albe offended contemporary standards of decency—it appears that the feeling against her was intensified by her gender.