Caroline Dexter (; 6 January 1819 – 19 August 1884) was an English-Australian dress reformer, writer, and feminist.

Biography

Dexter was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, England; she was educated privately in England and Paris. In 1843, she married the painter, William Dexter, he migrated to Australia aboard the ''Bank of England'' arriving in Sydney in 1852, and she arrived in the ''Marie Gabrielle'' in 1855. In Sydney, they opened and ran a Gallery of Arts and School of Design. They moved on to

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

in 1856. While in Gippsland Caroline wrote her ''Ladies Almanack: The Southern Cross or Australian Album and New Years Gift''. When it was published in 1858 it was 'The First Ladies' Almanack Published in the Colonies'. Soon after the book was complete the Dexters separated and Caroline moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. After lecturing about the

bloomers Bloomers, also called the bloomer, the Turkish dress, the American dress, or simply reform dress, are divided women's garments for the lower body. They were developed in the 19th century as a healthful and comfortable alternative to the heavy, ...

in London and beyond, Caroline continued to pursue her interest in

dress reform Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...

in Australia. Her continued support for dress reform caused controversy in the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. Nonetheless, she ran an Institute of Hygiene and promoted divided skirts for women and the abolition of corsets in Melbourne. She also met Harriet Clisby and together they produced the first all-women publication in 1861. The ''Interpreter'' ran for two issues. In 1861, Caroline married William Lynch, together they held a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...

and acquired an important collection of Australian art.

Legacy

Dexter Street in the Canberra suburb Cook is named in her honour. A book about William and Caroline, ''Folie A Deux: William and Caroline Dexter in Colonial Australia'', was written by Patrick Morgan in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Caroline 1819 births 1884 deaths Australian feminist writers Australian women journalists English emigrants to Australia 19th-century Australian journalists 19th-century Australian writers 19th-century Australian women writers 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers Salon-holders