Clemence Housman

Born in 1861, Clemence Annie Housman was an English author, illustrator, and campaigner for women’s suffrage. She came from the gifted Housman family and was the sister of poet A. E. Housman and writer-artist Laurence Housman, but she built a distinct career of her own through fiction, design, and craft.

She is now best known for The Were-Wolf (1896), a dark and memorable novella that helped secure her place in late Victorian fantasy and Gothic fiction. Alongside her writing, she worked as an illustrator and wood engraver, bringing a strong visual imagination to her creative life.

Housman was also deeply involved in the suffrage movement. With Laurence Housman, she helped found the Suffrage Atelier, which produced artistic material in support of women’s voting rights. She died in 1955, leaving behind a body of work that connects literary imagination with practical activism.