Agnes Littlejohn Explained

Agnes Littlejohn
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Occupation:Poet, short story writer, children's author
Death Place:Epping, New South Wales, Australia
Birth Place:Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Birth Date:25 September 1865

Agnes Littlejohn (25 September 1865 – 27 December 1944) was an Australian writer.

Life

Agnes Littlejohn was born in Paddington, New South Wales on 25 September 1865.[1] Her Scottish father, Thomas Littlejohn (d.1906) and his wife Ann Austin Littlejohn (née Orsmond in Tahiti) had migrated to Australia in 1864.[2]

Littlejohn had paintings in the Australian Academy of Arts Exhibition in 1892.[3]

Her first collection of short stories was published in 1907, the year following her father's death, and was reviewed favourably by The Sydney Morning Herald.[4] It contained both new stories and others which had previously been published in the Presbyterian.[5] From November 1907 her stories appeared in the "Young Folks" and "Australian Stories" columns of The Sydney Mail.[6] [7]

Following the outbreak of World War I, Littlejohn began writing patriotic poetry which was published in The Sydney Mail.[8] [9] [10] It was collected and re-published in a series of volumes during the war years. She also donated earnings from her writing to patriotic funds.[11] [12]

Her first book of fairy stories for children, Star Dust and Sea Spray, appeared in 1918 and was illustrated by Sydney Ure Smith and Percy Leason,[13] while Pixie O'Harris illustrated her 1924 book, The Lost Emerald and other Stories.[14]

She also wrote the lyrics for the song, "To a Butterfly", composed by Raimund Pechotsch in 1925.[15] It was dedicated to and sung by Elsa Stralia.[16]

In 1931 she began to write poetry for The Sydney Morning Herald.[17]

Works

Prose

Poetry

Prose and poetry

Later life and death

Littlejohn died on 27 December 1944 at a private hospital in Epping, New South Wales.[19] She never married.[20]

Notes and References

  1. News: 30 September 1865. Family Notices. LII. 1. The Sydney Morning Herald. 8537. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  2. News: 27 January 1906. Topics for the Block. LXXX. 46. The Australasian. 2078. Victoria, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  3. News: 2 July 1892. Academy of Arts. 5. The Sydney Morning Herald. 16,936. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  4. News: 20 July 1907. Notes. 4. The Sydney Morning Herald. 21,686. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  5. News: 20 July 1907. Literature. 9. The Australian Star. 6143. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  6. News: 27 November 1907. Young Folks. LXXXIV. 1406. The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. 2403. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  7. News: 29 July 1908. Critics. LXXXVI. 301. The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. 2438. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  8. News: 27 January 1915. Unrest. VI. 30. Sydney Mail. 148. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  9. News: 3 February 1915. For the Cause. VI. 27. Sydney Mail. 149. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  10. News: 17 February 1915. Goodbye!. VI. 34. Sydney Mail. 151. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  11. News: 15 November 1914. An Appeal From Rabaul. 5. Sunday Times. 1504. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  12. News: 30 June 1915. For Our Wounded Soldiers. VII. 32. Sydney Mail. 170. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  13. News: 27 April 1918. Miscellaneous. 8. The Sydney Morning Herald. 25,057. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  14. News: 25 October 1924. Recent Publications. 20. The Advertiser. South Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  15. Web site: To A Butterfly: Song. live. 2021-08-17. AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210817064027/https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C551153 . 17 August 2021 .
  16. News: 21 May 1925. "To a Butterfly". LXXV. 15. Freeman's Journal. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  17. News: 21 February 1931. Sleep, Little Babe. 9. The Sydney Morning Herald. 29,058. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  18. News: 18 July 1907. The Bookworm's Corner. LVIII. 19. Freeman's Journal. 3573. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  19. News: 29 December 1944. Family Notices. 8. The Sydney Morning Herald. 33,390. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.
  20. News: 7 December 1945. RE will of Agnes Littlejohn, late of Epping, spinster. 2306. Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 131. New South Wales, Australia. National Library of Australia. 17 August 2021.

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