Virginia Frances Townsend (1836 – August 11, 1920) was an American author.
She was editor of Arthur's Lady's Home Magazine and a contributing author to other magazines.
[2] She later taught at Dr. Dio Lewis's School for Young Ladies, where she was an advocate of exercise and physical education for women.
[1] She was a member of the Boston Authors Club.
[3] A group of librarians in Boston put Townsend's name on a list of authors whose books should be banned from libraries because of "false and dangerous ideas of life" purportedly in the books.