Tracy C. Davis, Northwestern University

Amelia Chesson (1833-1902) began writing music and theatre criticism in London during the mid-1850s. Focusing on the early part of her career, what is particularly interesting is not just that she represents a "female first" but rather how she garnered the expertise to make the work possible, when her fertility made it impossible, how she managed it in conjunction with domestic responsibilities, the assignments considered appropriate for or by her, and the practicalities of evening work and early-hours deadlines that she met.