Margaret Thomson Janvier (1844 – 1913) was an American poet and author of children's literature who published under the pseudonym Margaret Vandegrift.

Biography

Janvier was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Francis de Haes Janvier and Emma (Newbold) Janvier. Her brother was the writer

Thomas Allibone Janvier Thomas Allibone Janvier (July 16, 1849 – June 18, 1913) was an American story-writer and historian, born in Philadelphia of Provençal descent. Early life and marriage Janvier received a public school education, then worked in Philadelph ...

. She was initially educated at home and in the public school system before, in 1859, entering the Moravian Female Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She lived most of her adult life in Moorestown, New Jersey. Beginning around 1880, Janvier published collections of poetry, adventure novels, short stories, and fairy tales for young readers. Many of her adventure tales featured plucky protagonists — often girls — overcoming difficulties ranging from financial destitution to the death of a parent. Critics of the era praised her as "a most charming entertainer of children". 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 ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by th ...

'', ''

Harper's Young People ''Harper's Young People'' was an American children's magazine between 1879 and 1899. The first issue appeared in the fall of 1879. It was published by Harper & Brothers. It was Harper's fourth magazine to be established, after ''Harper's Magazine' ...

'', and ''

Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associati ...

''. 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.

Selected publications

* ''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

External links

''Little Helpers''
— at the Internet Archive
''The Queen's Body Guard''
— at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Janvier, Margaret Thomson 1844 births 1913 deaths American children's writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American writers American women poets American women children's writers