Josephine Daskam Bacon

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, on February 17, 1876, Josephine Daskam Bacon graduated from Smith College in 1898 and soon began publishing fiction. An early collection, Smith College Stories (1900), drew on college life and helped introduce readers to the fresh, observant voice that would mark much of her work.

She wrote across an unusually wide range of forms, including novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile mysteries, and nonfiction. Her writing is especially noted for its female protagonists and for taking women's issues and social expectations seriously while still remaining readable and engaging.

After marrying lawyer Selden Bacon in 1903, she continued a long literary career under several forms of her name, including Josephine Daskam and Josephine Dodge Daskam. She died on July 29, 1961, in Tannersville, New York, leaving behind a large and varied body of work.