Alpine Guides, Gender, and British Climbers, 1859–85: The Boundaries of Female Propriety in the British Periodical Press

In a December 1885 article entitled "Two Lady Alpine Climbers" published in the Girl's Own Paper, Edward Whymper writes of the achievement of two important characters in the history of women's mountaineering, Lucy Walker and Elizabeth Le Blond.¹ By the time Whymper's article was published, women had conquered many of the key peaks in Europe and beyond.² Mont Blanc had been scaled in 1854 by Mrs. Hamilton and the following year by Emma Foreman, who made the first female ascent of Monte Rosa in 1857. Emma Winkworth, wife of a Bolton spinner, was the first woman to summit the 4,158 metre Jungfrau and the 4,206 metre Alphubel in 1863, and Lucy Walker made the first female ascent of the Matterhorn in 1871.³ Of Walker's achievements, Whymper notes,

Should Miss Walker ever give to the world some account of her unparalleled experiences, her book would be unique of its kind; and amidst descriptions of scenes such as it has been the lot of few to enjoy, we may be sure that she would not forget to do justice equally to the loving watchfulness of her father and brother—her constant companions—and to the tender care of the faithful Swiss, their incomparable leader, whose ability and prudence have never failed in these long series of expeditions, and whose sterling qualities have long since justly earned for him the title of "Prince of Guides."⁴

The guide to whom Whymper refers is Melchior Anderegg, born in 1828 near to Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland, who, after a childhood tending cattle and carving wood, became one of the principal guides of the region.⁵ The positioning of Whymper's laudatory account of Anderegg is peculiar given that it appears at the end of an article ostensibly celebrating the achievements of women mountaineers. Whymper's portrayal of the guide, first as a "faithful Swiss" and then as the "Prince of Guides," overshadows the claims of the women, thus affording them an inferior and dependent position.

This article traces representations of mountain guides in the British periodical press between 1859 and 1885, highlighting the ways in which the figure of the guide contributed to fierce debates about the ethics and purpose of mountaineering and its suitability as a sport for women. In the press, guides were depicted in articles about climbing on the European continent, in accounts of landmark events in its history, and in reviews of texts written by British mountaineers. Because of their wide readership and accessibility, periodicals had considerable influence in the debate about the borders of conventional and acceptable femininity. A concentrated analysis of periodical literature can facilitate an understanding of incremental changes in the borders of ideological categories, especially the conventions of femininity and the appropriate boundaries of physical activity by women. Scholarship by Fraser, Green, and Johnston, among others, has illustrated the integral role of the periodical press in the "formation and circulation of gender ideologies in Victorian Britain."⁶ Referring to Mary Poovey's influential work, the authors assert that the "medium that most readily articulates the unevenness and reciprocities of evolving gender ideologies is the periodical press."⁷ Discussions and representations of women's mountaineering are a significant source for understanding the expansion of acceptable gender conventions over the period. In the 1860s and '70s, women's climbing achievements were predominantly addressed in reviews written by men focused on women's mountain adventures. It was not until later in the period that specific articles about women's achievements began to appear in periodicals aimed at women and girls.

Accounts of female climbers at mid-century were most often used to underline women's reliance on male guides. My study begins by analysing periodical reviews of A Lady's Tour Round Monte Rosa (1859) by Eliza Cole (Mrs. Henry Warwick). I then consider the reception of Alpine Byways (1861) and A Summer Tour in the Grisons (1862) by Jane Freshfield (Mrs. Henry Freshfield). I contrast representations of these climbers and their relationships with their guides...