I used to think that history before 1900 was written by men. But to quote from this piece: “It is common for women’s autobiographies from before the 20th century to be published even centuries later by an editor whose purpose and agenda is different from the woman author’s.” The letters and memoirs are there, if we can only find them, and will give us a broader perspective on the way people lived, and the beliefs and cultures of the day. I have found when researching historical fiction that it is often the memoirs and letters of women – Elisabeth d’Orleans, Madame de Stael, Fanny Burney, Jane Carlyle – which are the richest source.