Louisa Lawson was the first woman in Australia to own and operate a printing and publishing company.

She purchased a going concern in 1888 in order to print The Dawn, her suffragette journal through which she became a powerful advocate for women’s rights, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations of women in print.

She was well known at the time for hiring and training women, and boasted an all female team of compositors and typesetters, facing significant harassment from Unions and Associations in the industry alike.

The Dawn was a commercial success across Australia and Internationally, and Louisa leaves a legacy as a printer, publisher, poet, writer and is therefore our Home Page Hero for January 2025.