García Balmaseda's literary career began in 1860, when she was 23 years old. Across her career, she wrote three plays, three books of advice for women, a book for young women subtitled
Tratado de las labores frivolité y malla, three books of poetry, an instructional book for young readers, and various journalistic articles. She also produced many translations, some of which were offered "as a gift" to subscribers to ''''. García Balmaseda's writing on women's education and labor were widely read, including her best-known work,
La madre de familia. Her book
Diálogos instructivos sobre la religión, la moral y las maravillas de la naturaleza, first published 1860, was printed in its 12th edition by 1919, and it was declared official reading among primary school students.
Journalism Her career as a journalist began in 1957, when she started writing for the publications '''' and Barcelona's
La Floresta. From there, she wrote for numerous magazines and newspapers over more than 35 years. For
La Correspondencia de España, she translated many novellas from French, Italian, and English. In 1864, she began producing literary criticism for the publication, and she also wrote fashion dispatches. She also wrote for
El Museo de las Familias (1861),
La Aurora de la Vida (1861),
La América (1861 and 1867),
La Educanda (1862–1865),
El Museo Literario (1863–1866), and
La Violeta (1864). She worked frequently as an editor, and employed various pseudonyms, including Baronesa de Olivares, Aurora Pérez de Mirón, Adela Samb, and Condesa de Valflores. In October 1883, at age 56, she was named the director of the magazine '''', succeeding
Ángela Grassi; she would lead the newspaper for a decade, until 1893. Her fashion column for the magazine, "Revista de Modas," ran for more than 20 years, from 1866 to 1886. She frequently addressed women's issues, defending women's role in the arts and in society at large in her article "La mujer artista." While García Balmaseda was immersed in the prevailing
neo-Catholic conservatism of
Isabella II's reign, she made important strides in the area of women's education and in ensuring the well-being, independence, and freedom of single women.
Theater García Balmaseda also had an interest in the theater, stemming from her youth as an actress. She detailed the medium's history from its Greek roots to its modern form in Spain in her essay "La actriz española." She also wrote three plays, beginning with
Genio y figura at only 24 years old. These works developed the theme of antagonism between the sexes and women's fight for independence while still desiring love. == Personal life and death ==