Jane Austen by Cassandra Austen © National Portrait Gallery, London
Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information, such as firsthand accounts of events in letters, diaries, interviews, or historical news reportage.
Full text news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, historical photos, reviews, and advertisements from a premier British newspaper.
Dates: 1785-2014 CE
Gender-focused primary sources concerning family, sexuality, social mores, and education from British archives. Documents include diaries, letters, advice books, educational materials, and more and prioritize the 18th and 19th Centuries.
Dates: 1400-1920 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.
Searching the text of documents from late 18th-early 19th century can be a bit tricky.
Modern terms weren't necessarily used! Keep track of any unusual phrases you find, and use them to search.
Spelling was not yet standardized, so be flexible and include alternate spellings!
Try using OR to combine several spellings of search words or synonyms, such as:
smallpox OR smalpox OR small-pox
Also try truncation to get variations in spelling that have the same root:
adverti* to get advertize OR advertise