Louisa Lawson was a trailblazer in the early Australian print industry and a fearless advocate for women’s empowerment. Born in 1848 near Gulgong, New South Wales, she defied societal norms when her marriage ended to become the first woman in Australia to own and operate a printing and publishing company.
In 1888, Louisa proactively purchased an existing printing business in order publish The Dawn, a journal dedicated to discussing women’s rights, education, and workplace equality. She did so in order to have full control of the journal, from concept to distribution.It also allowed her to hire and train women, with an all-female team of compositors and typesetters at the core of her operations. While her staff also included men at various times, the emphasis on employing women in skilled trade roles was groundbreaking for the time and set her business apart in an industry where women were actively excluded from learning the trade.
Louisa faced significant opposition from the New South Wales Typographical Association, a trade union that was vociferous in its exclusion of women from the printing trade. The association refused her membership and harassed her business, even attempting to force her to dismiss her female staff. Despite these challenges, Louisa maintained her workforce and proved as far back as the late 19th century that women could and did excel in skilled trades.
Under her leadership, The Dawn became a commercial success, distributed across Australia and internationally. The journal provided a platform for discussing women’s issues and advancing their rights, while Louisa’s advocacy extended to founding the Dawn Club, where women could develop public speaking skills and campaign for reform.
The Dawn ceased publication in 1905 and while Louisa’s later years were marked by health challenges, her influence endures. Her pioneering work in training women in the printing trade and campaigning for women’s rights laid a foundation for future generations of women and demonstrated the transformative power of resilience and determination.
While her son, poet Henry Lawson, also gained literary renown, Louisa’s own legacy stands separately in its own right as a Publisher, Printer, Poet, and Writer. Women in Print Australia, and all our members walk proudly in the path laid for us by Louisa Lawson, and we salute her determination to challenge conventions and create meaningful change.
Subscribe to our newsletters and event notifications :
Rita is an Account Director at IVE Group in the Data-Driven Communications business. With twenty years’ experience in mail and data communications Rita has built an expansive career across operations and productions into strategic sales and client service roles. With a Bachelor of Business in Information Systems, Rita offers her team and clients operational and technical expertise into her account management and customer solutions approach. IVE Group is well recognised for building strong female leadership programs and Rita has embraced this enthusiastically with recent graduation of a Leader Factor 4 – Stages of Psychological Leadership program. Rita is a passionate, intelligent and deliverable-centric individual who currently holds the Women in Print – Victorian Patron role.
