A full-length photograph of Ruth McEnery Stuart graces the cover of the 16 December 1899 issue of Harper's Bazar; she is identified in the caption as one of the "American Authoresses of the Hour." The article inside features photographs of Stuart's New York home and information about her hobbies. Such details undoubtedly appealed to her vast and devoted readership, largely composed of women who, like Stuart, stood balanced on the edge of a new century that promised greater opportunities and freedom than women had ever experienced before. The women of the 1890s looked to figures such as Stuart for leadership.

Moving to New York from New Orleans after the success of her first published stories, Stuart established herself as a leading writer in the 1890s and won renown both as an accomplished hostess and as a devoted advocate of women's rights. Given the decline of Stuart's reputation following her death...