Laura Palmer-Archer
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1864
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Belgrave, Victoria, Australia
Laura Palmer-Archer | |
|---|---|
 Palmer-Archer, c.1904 | |
| Born | Laura Maude O'Ferrall 1864 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 8 June 1929 (aged 64–65) Belgrave, Victoria, Australia |
| Pen name | Bushwoman |
| Notable works | A Bush Honeymoon and other stories |
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.
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][12]
