Did Lady Whistledown from “Bridgerton” exist? Discover the history of gossip columns

Like the series “Bridgerton” Netflix's hit, clearly shows that for centuries gossip It has been one of the greatest pastimes of human beings.

Columns dedicated to following celebrities' every step may have taken on a new look with the internet, but our curiosity about other people's lives is as old as it gets.

To this day, the British monarchy takes over the headlines around the world with any disagreement or controversy surrounding the family. And it's been like that for more than a century.

But at what point did word of mouth stop being enough and gossip took on the shape of a profession with columns printed in newspapers? Serials like those of Lady Whistledown really existed, exposing the details of the private life of English society?

Printed gossip

The beginning of gossip columns is confused with the beginning of mass printing of newspapers. There are records of gossip published in London newspapers since the 17th century, but it was in the 18th century that gossip columns began to circulate throughout European society.

Throughout the 19th century — a period in which “Bridgerton” happens –, the circulation of newspapers, magazines and pamphlets was already quite common, and most of them had a section dedicated to the life and intrigues of high society.

“Gossip and scandals were part of the news at the time,” explained Hannah Greig, the historical advisor for “Bridgerton”, in an interview with producer Shondaland.

This “boom” of gossip columns in England happened for two main reasons: mass printing had become so accessible that each city started to produce its own local newspapers, and libel laws became much more flexible during the Regency period. British.

“Control of print culture has changed [no século 18]. There was a massive explosion of journalistic culture, of publishing pamphlets – it was basically a paper world. And you needed information to print. It was a kind of journalistic heyday,” added Greig.

Celebrities of the time

For the historian, “the conduct of members of the elite was scrutinized by the press in the same way that today we comment on the behavior of celebrities”.

According to her, almost all London daily newspapers at the time published gossip columns. From the mid-18th century onwards, monthly periodicals such as The World, The Connoisseur and Le Bon Ton also began to dedicate part of their content to this.

“They focused on adventures, behaviors and trends in the fashion world,” said Greig. “For Town and Country magazine, sex scandals were big business, with details of high society love affairs published in a monthly article called 'Tête-à-Tête' during the last decades of the 18th century.”

Lady Whistledown?

Although many columns were signed, many others were anonymous, as was the one by Lady Whistledown . However, one detail differentiated gossipers in real life and fiction: they did not usually reveal in full the names of those being talked about.

“The real names of the individuals in question were replaced by initials or a suggestive pseudonym, but the articles included portraits of the protagonists, and their identities were easily determined by the public consuming the news,” Greig explained.

She used one of the characters in the series as an example: “So, if it were [sobre] Anthony Bridgerton, could appear in a scandal column as 'Viscount B.' His full name would not be disclosed.”

At this same time, novels inspired by the events of high society life also began to become popular, with real-life characters and events basing the stories in the books. “Extracted from real life, but presented as fiction”, explained the historian.

Since then, we know that interest in gossip columns has only continued, jumping from the paper pages to the computer screen and smartphones we carry in our pockets today.

See palaces and mansions from “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”