Barbara Bodichon

Barbara Bodichon
Barbara Bodichon portrait by Samuel Laurence, 1880 (from a sketch in 1861)
Born
Barbara Leigh Smith

(1827-04-08)8 April 1827
Died11 June 1891(1891-06-11) (aged 64)
Robertsbridge, Sussex, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Other namesBarbara Leigh Smith
OccupationsEducationalist
Artist
Known forCo-founder, Girton College, Cambridge
SpouseEugène Bodichon

Barbara Bodichon (8 April 1827 – 11 June 1891), born Barbara Leigh Smith, was an English educationalist, artist, and philanthropist, a leading mid-19th-century feminist and women's rights activist.

In 1854, she published her influential A Brief Summary of the Laws of England Concerning Women, and in 1858 the English Woman's Journal.

With her friend Emily Davies, in 1869 Bodichon co-founded Girton College, Cambridge. Her greatest skill is said to have been as a facilitator.