From Carmen Burgos Seguí to Emilia Pardo Bazán: A Review of Nineteenth-Century Spanish Women Travellers

Abstract

Nineteenth-century Spanish women travellers have mostly remained in oblivion for almost two centuries. Nine women travellers bent the strict rules of the Catholic Spanish tradition, travelled abroad, became pioneers in their disciplines and left written accounts of their achievements. Carmen Burgos, Eva Canel, Sofía Casanova, Teresa Escoriaza, Emilia Serrano, Carolina Coronado, Concepción Gimeno, Eulalia de Borbón and Emilia Pardo Bazán developed their careers mainly in journalism and literature. Their accomplishments include being the first Spanish female editor, the first female professional journalist, the first woman traveller to cross a whole continent on her own, the first female war correspondent, or the first female member of the Ateneo de Madrid. This paper sheds light on their individual stories so that their memory is not forgotten.