Laura Palmer-Archer

Laura Maude Palmer-Archer (1864 – 8 June 1929) was an Australian short story writer, who mainly wrote using the pseudonym "Bushwoman". She is best known for her 1904 book, A Bush Honeymoon and other stories.

Laura Palmer-Archer
Palmer-Archer, c.1904
Palmer-Archer, c.1904
BornLaura Maude O'Ferrall
1864
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died8 June 1929(1929-06-08) (aged 64–65)
Belgrave, Victoria, Australia
Pen nameBushwoman
Notable worksA Bush Honeymoon and other stories

Palmer-Archer was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1864 to parents of Irish heritage.[1] One of her brothers, Ernest O'Ferrall, was a short story writer and poet, who wrote as "Kodak" for The Bulletin.[2]

In 1888 Palmer-Archer married Tom Palmer-Archer and moved with him to a property in outback Queensland. Many of her stories a based on her first-hand experience of rural life.[1]

Palmer-Archer wrote short stories for The Australasian, the first appearing in November 1894[3] and the last in December 1928.[4] Her first book of collected stories, Racing in the Never-Never and other stories.[5]

Her 1904 book, A Bush Honeymoon and other stories, was published in London by T. Fisher Unwin.[1] It was a compilation of stories previously published in The Australasian (Melbourne) and the Australian Town and Country Journal (New South Wales).[6] In the Foreword, Rolf Boldrewood said:

It appeared to me a matter of simple justice, as well to the British public as to a talented writer, that work of such genuine merit should find a permanent place in literature.

— Rolf Boldrewood, A Bush Honeymoon and other stories, Foreword

In the 1920s she began to write poems for children which were published regularly in The Australasian[7][8] and also recited on radio by "Mary Gumleaf" as "Kiddyosities".[9][10]

Palmer-Archer died in hospital in Belgrave, Victoria on 8 June 1929.[11] She was survived by her husband, two sons and two daughters.[12]

Works
  • Palmer-Archer, Laura M. (1899). Racing in the Never-Never and other stories. George Robertson & Co.
  • Palmer-Archer, Laura M. (1904). A bush honeymoon and other stories (Colonial ed.). T. Fisher Unwin.

A number of her short stories may be found on The Australian Newspaper Fiction Database.[13] She was incorrectly attributed as "Miss Archer", author of the novel, Mr Moore, which was serialised in the Sydney Mail in 1880.[14][15]

References
  1. "Laura M. Palmer-Archer". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. "Personal". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 16, 246. Victoria, Australia. 13 June 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 17 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "The Bushman". The Australasian. Vol. LVII, no. 1495. Victoria, Australia. 24 November 1894. p. 23. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ""Laughin' Portheen an' th' Fairies"". The Australasian. Vol. CXXV, no. 4, 171. Victoria, Australia. 15 December 1928. p. 85. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Miscellaneous Works". The Australasian. Vol. LXV, no. 1708. Victoria, Australia. 24 December 1898. p. 50. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Palmer-Archer, Laura M. (1904). "A Bush Honeymoon and other stories". Colonial Australian Popular Fiction. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  7. "The Fairies' Breakfast Bell". The Australasian. Vol. CXXI, no. 4, 049. Victoria, Australia. 7 August 1926. p. 68 (Metropolitan Edition). Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "The Cherry-Blossom Fairies". The Australasian. Vol. CXXI, no. 4, 053. Victoria, Australia. 4 September 1926. p. 3 (Metropolitan Edition). Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Melbourne Chatter". Trove. 23 September 1926. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  10. "Melbourne Chatter". The Bulletin. 47: 28. 23 September 1926 – via Trove.
  11. "Family Notices". The Australasian. Vol. CXXVI, no. 4, 198. Victoria, Australia. 22 June 1929. p. 17 (Metropolitan Edition). Retrieved 17 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "About People". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. LXXXVII, no. 143. Tasmania, Australia. 19 June 1929. p. 12 (Daily). Retrieved 17 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "Search for fiction in Australian newspapers: Laura Palmer-Archer". To be continued . . . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  14. Archer, Miss (24 July 1880). "Fiction: Mr. Moore". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. Vol. XXX, no. 1046. New South Wales, Australia. p. 150. Retrieved 20 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Palmer-Archer, Laura M. – Author". Colonial Australian Popular Fiction. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.