A History of Women in Print

To celebrate International Women’s Day we’re going to be spending the week celebrating the amazing women who work in print. It’s also Women’s History Month, so to kick off, let’s look at how we got here by looking at the history of women in print.

Anna Rügerin

The first female printer was Anna Rügerin. Anna was a female typographer from the city of Augsburg in Germany. In 1484, she printed two books in the in-folio format in her own press.

Charlotte Guillard

Charlotte Guillard is the first woman printer with a widely recognised career. She worked at the famous Soleil d’Or printing house in Paris from 1502 until her death in 1557. From 1537 onwards, after the passing of her second husband, Guillard ran her printing business on her own. This was unusual for the time, as women were not allowed to own a business. They were, however, allowed to take over the business of their husband after their death. 

Her business grew substantially over the years. She owned five or six printing presses and she had 25-30 employees. More than 400 different libraries worldwide have books printed by Guilliard. 

Yolande Bonhomme

Yolande Bonhomme was another prominent woman printing in Paris. She began printing on her own following her husband’s death in 1522. Estimates of her output range from 136 to 200 publications before her death in 1557. In 1526, she became the first woman to publish the Bible and she later joined forces with Charlotte Guillard to demand better quality paper from the papermakers’ guild.

Lydia Bailey 

When Lydia’s husband died, she took over the business of his printshop, where she learned to set type, to feed her children and pay off her late husband’s debts.  She quickly grew to become one of Philadelphia’s best printers, hiring and supervising more than 160 male printers. She was appointed City Printer of Philadelphia and was the only woman ever to hold the position. For more than 50 years, between 1808 and 1861, Lydia ran one of Philly’s largest print shops. They printed books, almanacs, pamphlets, and business forms.  

Women’s Printing Society

The women’s printing society was a British publishing house founded in either 1874 or 1876. The company played an important role in supporting the British suffragettes, both through its publication of feminist tracts and by providing employment opportunities for women in a field previously restricted to men. The house was set up to allow women to learn the trade of printing and provided an apprenticeship program. Women worked as compositors, and as of 1904, it was one of the few houses where they also did the imposing: ordering the galley proofs so that the front and back pages aligned properly when folded. As of 1899, the company employed 22 women as compositors. The manager, proofreader and bookkeeper were also women.

Women have always been involved in print, and at Graphic Warehouse, we hope to encourage more women to consider a career in print.