The 1850s witnessed a resurgence of feminist activism in Britain, where a series of important legislations were introduced as a result of high-profile legal battles and in response to the growing number of single middle-class women who campaigned for economic independence. Among the key figures of this period were Harriet Martineau (1802–76) and Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (1827–91).

Harriet Martineau was born to Unitarian parents who held progressive views on girls’ education.