The datasets underlying this network analysis were generated through searches of the Early Modern Letters Online database. View the dataset on men corresponding with women as a CSV here; on women corresponding with men as a CSV here; and women corresponding with women as a CSV here.

I approached the dataset with a pretty specific idea in mind. I chose the time period from 1776 to 1787 because it’s a significant time period in American history; the time between independence and the Constitution. However, instead of focusing on American letters during that time, I shifted my attention across the Atlantic and looked at letters from English women. That felt more interesting because it raises a different kind of question: were women actively engaged in intellectual or social conversations during major political change?

Once the network visualization came together, a few patterns stood out. One of the most noticeable was how Mary Stuart appeared as a central figure, suggesting that certain women weren’t just passive participants but key connectors in communication. At the same time, there were more letters exchanged between women than between men and women or vice versa. That’s significant because it suggests that women were forming their own communication networks rather than relying on male-dominated ones. Even without knowing the exact content of the letters, the structure alone shows that women were actively engaging with each other, likely sharing ideas, news, and perspectives in ways that created their own intellectual spaces.

Looking at it more broadly, visualizing these relationships across space and time makes something abstract feel a lot more concrete. Instead of thinking of letter writing as isolated, one-on-one exchanges, you start to see it as a web of connections that stretches across regions and communities. That matters because in early modern Europe, letters were one of the main ways ideas spread. When you map those connections, you can start to see how communities formed through consistent, everyday communication between individuals. In this case, the visualization suggests that women were part of that process in a more meaningful way than they’re often given credit for.

Even without reading a single letter, the network shows they weren’t on the outside looking in, they were actively building their own communities through writing.