Margaret Thomson Janvier (1840s – 1913) was an American poet and author of children's literature who published under the pseudonym Margaret Vandegrift.
Margaret Thomson Janvier | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1844 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | 1913 Moorestown, New Jersey |
| Pen name | Margaret Vandegrift |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Poetry, children's literature |
| Relatives | Thomas Allibone Janvier (brother) |
Biography
editJanvier was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Francis de Haes Janvier and Emma (Newbold) Janvier.[1] Her brother was the writer Thomas Allibone Janvier.[2] She was initially educated at home and in the public school system before, in 1859, entering the Moravian Female Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[3] She lived most of her adult life in Moorestown, New Jersey.[4]
Beginning around 1880, Janvier published collections of poetry, adventure novels, short stories, and fairy tales for young readers.[4] Many of her adventure tales featured plucky protagonists — often girls — overcoming difficulties ranging from financial destitution to the death of a parent.[4] Critics of the era praised her as "a most charming entertainer of children".[5] E. B. Bensell illustrated two of her books.
In addition to publishing stand-alone books, Janvier wrote for popular periodicals such as St. Nicholas Magazine, Harper's Young People, and Century Magazine.[4] One of her poems, "Little Wild Baby", which implied a mixed-race relationship between a white man and a woman of color, was rejected by major literary periodicals of its day.[6]
Selected publications
edit- Clover Beach (1880)
- Under the Dog Star (1881)
- Holidays at Home (1882)
- The Queen's Body Guard (1883)
- The Absent-Minded Fairy, and Other Verses (1884, illustrated by E. B. Bensell)
- Doris and Theodora (1884)
- Little Bell and Other Stories (1884, illustrated by E. B. Bensell)
- Rose Raymond's Wards (1885)
- Ways and Means (1886)
- The Dead Doll, and Other Verses (1888)
- Little Helpers (1888)
- Umbrellas to Mend (1905)
References
edit- ^ "Janvier, Margaret Thomson". The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, vol. 12, 1904, p. 460.
- ^ Turner, Michael R. Victorian Parlour Poetry: An Annotated Anthology, p. 194.
- ^ Smith, Jewel A. Music, Women, and Pianos in Antebellum Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: The Moravian Young Ladies' Seminary. Associated University Presse, 2008, p. 134.
- ^ a b c d Schwartz, Helen J. "Janvier, Margaret Thompson". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved Aug. 18, 2017.
- ^ "Contemporary Literature". The Universalist Quarterly and General Review, vol. 26 (January 1889), p. 114.
- ^ Keetley, Dawn. "19th Century Women's Poetry: Margaret Thomson Janvier (1844-1913)". Society for the Study of American Women Writers, Lehigh University.
External links
edit- Little Helpers — at the Internet Archive
- The Queen's Body Guard — at the Internet Archive