Child, Lydia Maria (1802-1880)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Lydia Maria Child (née Francis) was born in Medford, Massachusetts, on 11 February 1802. She was known for her activism in support of the rights of women, Indigenous people, and the enslaved, and against gender, racial, and species supremacy. In her advice manuals she advises against the consumption of meat and animal products, but her sympathy for ethical veg*nism is essentially welfarist. She thematizes and advocates for the humane treatment of other-than-human animals. While, at times, she employs textual features that testify to an interest in other-than-human animal sentience, such as direct speech and narrative point of view, she does not question the legitimacy of humans’ use of other animals for their own purposes. Thus, she uses animal tropes like “cattle” and “wild animal” as similes to describe the experience of enslaved people. Child does not seem to advocate for veg*nism directly in her own voice, but she is interested in the practice of the "Pythagorean" diet or veganism both in her context and in other cultures and times, often in relation to (religious) ethics. She also promotes Temperance and frugality. Lydia Maria Child died in Wayland, Massachusetts, on 20 October 1880.

IMAGE: Lydia Maria Child, reading a book. c. 1865. Public Domain.

 

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Last updated on August 19th, 2024

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