Concepción Arenal Ponte was a graduate in law, thinker, journalist, poet and Spanish dramatic author within the literary Realism and pioneer in Spanish feminism. She was born on January 31, 1820. She went to Law School at the Central University becoming the first woman in Spain to attend University, where she was forced to wear masculine attire. After her graduation, she married and had three children.

She founded the feminist group Conference of Saint Vincent de Paul in order to help the poor in 1859. In later years she published poetry books and essays. In 1872 she founded the Construction Beneficiary, a society dedicated to building cheap houses for workers. She died on February 4, 1893.