Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
WOMEN AS AD.-wRITERs.
What Has Been Accomplished by
Two Washington Girls.

Two Warrington Girls.
From Wcmankind.
The daily papers of Washington city
print better advertisements than the pa
pers of any other city in Am erica. 1 mean
the average is higher, and l think any OBJ
server Of advertising will agree with this
statement This is a result, very largely,
of the work done by The Star ad.-writing
bureau. This institution has reduced the
writing of advertisements for the retail
trade to scientific system that gives ad-
mirable results. Associated with the bu-
reau are two young ladies, Miss Carrie v.
Riordan and Miss Mamie G. HungerfOrd,
both of whom started as typewriters, but
by close application and studying the me- TIL
obs of advertisers and reading all he var
ious advertising journals they rapidly de-
veloped into ad.-writers and manage their
own lists of houses.
Miss Riordan first>saw light in Washing
ton In 1873, and after a thorough schooling,
took up typewriting and became expert
in taking dictation from Mr.. William A.
Hungerford. She absorbed much of his
terseness and versatility and quickly grad
uated into a full-fedged ad.-writer, and
now handles quite a number Of firms, COW
ering various lines of business. While the
bureau does not permit 1t to be known who
writes the advertisements of any particu-
lar firm handled oy them, number of her
ads. have been published weekly in Brains.
In addition to ad.-writing. Miss Riordan
ence, and handles the rate book. supplying
estimates when desired, and is well ac-
quainted with the various magazines,
weekiies and dailies throughout the coun-
vertising field offers any induceement to
women. Miss Riordan said:
Iqere Is no reason why women should
| not be as successful in the advertising field
as In any other l believe 1t peculiarly
| adapted to women. Woman Is the power
behind the throne, and it Is Acknowledged
that nearly all advertising. directly or in
directly. appeals to women. Who knows
better than a woman what kind of an ad.
would most interest her sex? Women know
the different kinds and qualities of dry
goods, notions, ETC., and are also familiar
with mems goods. 1t has been a source of
wonder to me that more women have not
embarked in the advertising field as pre-
dict brilliant future in the next few
years for the woman ad.-writer. Natural
ly she must adjust herself to the conli.i ,ns
surrounding the business, ever ready to
give and take and asking but fair field
and no fayors
Miss Hungerford was also born in Wash
ington, in 1874. and is a graduate Of the
Washington Collegian Institute, and a sis
ter Of Mr.. William A. Hungerford, so
comes Dy her ad.-writing proclivities hon
estly. In addition to writing ads. for a
number of houses, she has charge of the
checking department of the agency. She
has an easy, natural style and can grind
out fashion articles for dry goods and
cloak houses with the ad.-points so con-
| cealed that the unsuspecting shopper is
caught as readily as the wary bass at the
hands Of an expert She also keeps the ad.
scrap books" filled with "morsels'' from
which the other nine writer's of the bureau
dine often and heartily. which accounts, in
| large measure, for the telling ads that
emanate daily from the agency. Miss Hun
gerford said. when asked about women as
ad.-experts:
1T has been acknowledged that litera-
| ture opened WIDER more pleasant and
| more profitable field for women than that
| OF any other, and since it is further &C.
knowledged that ad.-writing is the most
| profitable end Of literary work. there is no
reason why women should not meet with
abundance Of success in this vocation. A
great deal has been written about a wo-
mans intuition, and 1t is very generally
| recognized as an important factor in every
line of thought and action and I can see
| no reason why woman's intuition cannot
be applied to the advertising field in pro
ducing that style Of advertisements which
would have the most effect upon her sex.
| who are recognized as buying three-fourths
of the worlds goods"