Elizabeth Oakes Prince Smith

Born Elizabeth Oakes Prince in 1806 in Maine, she became known as Elizabeth Oakes Smith after marrying journalist and humorist Seba Smith. She built a wide-ranging career as a poet, fiction writer, editor, and lecturer at a time when few women were welcomed so fully into public literary life.

Her writing appeared in major periodicals, and she published poetry, novels, and essays while also speaking publicly on issues including women’s rights. That mix of literary work and reform made her a distinctive figure in 19th-century America: someone equally at home in print culture and on the lecture platform.

She died in 1893, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both the energy of American literary culture and the growing movement for women’s independence and public voice.