Josephine Daskam Bacon

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1876, Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon studied at Smith College and went on to build a wide-ranging writing career. She published novels, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and became especially noted for centering women and girls in her work at a time when that was far from standard.

She wrote with range and energy, from juvenile mysteries and light satire to more serious pieces about women's roles and social expectations. One of her best-known books was The Memoirs of a Baby, and her reputation rests in part on how consistently she gave female characters wit, agency, and a strong point of view.

Bacon died in 1961. Today she is remembered as a prolific early-20th-century American author whose writing could be playful, observant, and quietly ahead of its time.