Charlotte Mansfield (1881–1936) was an English novelist, poet, and traveler, known for her planned 1909 "Cape to Cairo""From Cape to Cairo: Big Trip for Women" Winnipeg Tribune (28 November 1908): 9. via Newspapers.com journey. She was incorrectly reported to have been the first woman to make the journey, even though someone already had and Mansfield didn't complete the challenge."Marriage of the White Donna" New Zealand Herald (23 November 1909).
Charlotte Mansfield was also an accomplished needlework artist, and exhibited her embroidery work in London.
Career Mansfield's novels include Torn Lace (1904);Charlotte Mansfield, Torn Lace (W. Scott 1904). The Girl and the Gods (1907);Charlotte Mansfield, The Girl and the Gods (Hermes Press 1907). Love and a Woman;"Lady's Trek through Africa" Glamorgan Gazette (20 August 1909): 3. Red Pearls (1914);Charlotte Mansfield, Red Pearls (London 1914). Gloria, a Girl of the South African Veldt (1916);Charlotte Mansfield, Gloria, A Girl of the South African Veldt (Holden and Hardingham 1916). The Dupe (1917), a World War I spy story;Sharon Ouditt, Women Writers of the First World War: An Annotated Bibliography (Routledge 2002): 31-32. Sex and Siller (1920);Charlotte Mansfield, Sex and Siller (Holden and Hardingham 1920) and Strings (1920), a supernatural thriller about an evil violin.Charlotte Mansfield, Strings (W. Westall & Company 1920). She also published two books of poems, Flowers of the Wind (1899), and Poems (1902).Charlotte Mansfield, Flowers of the Wind (Elkin Matthews 1899).Charlotte Mansfield, Poems (London: Bumpus & Co., 1902). The Spectator reviewer called her poetry "verses of indifferent quality, now and then audacious in sentiment.""Some Books of the Week" The Spectator (15 July 1899): 97/
Her widely publicized "Cape to Cairo" tour in fact only reached to Lake Tanganyika before returning to South Africa"Via Rhodesia" Sydney Morning Herald (22 April 1911): 4. via Trove. and Mary Hall had already made that trip and published a book with that title. Mansfield wrote about her travels in southern Africa in Via Rhodesia: A Journey Through Southern Africa (1911)).Charlotte Mansfield, Via Rhodesia: A Journey through Southern Africa (London: S. Paul & Co. 1911). In reviewing the book, The Register of Adelaide commented, "a less fitting person to follow in the steps of Mary Kingsley could hardly be imagined.""Review of Books: A Lady in Africa" The Register (1 April 1911): 4. via Trove.
Mansfield's Gloria, A Girl of the South African Veldt was one of the first South African novels to be adapted for the screen, when American director Lorimer Johnston made a silent picture at Killarney Film Studios in 1916 based on Mansfield's novel, starring English actress Mabel May in the title role."Lorrimer Johnston Heard From" The Moving Picture World 27(March 18, 1916): 1839.
Charlotte Mansfield was also an accomplished needlework artist, and exhibited her embroidery work in London.Ernest L. Scott, "Society Belle's Long Walk" Omaha Daily Bee (31 January 1909): 11. via Newspapers.com
Personal life In 1909, she married mining engineer Vladimir Raffalovich in London; they lived in Johannesburg, South Africa.Mick Conefrey, How to Climb Mount Blanc in a Skirt: A Handbook for the Lady Adventurer (Macmillan 2011): 54. Alfred Edward Turner and Mansfield's new sister-in-law Vera Raffalovich Friedlander presented and hosted the wedding festivities."Exploration Romance" The Telegraph (20 November 1909): 8. via Trove. Vladimir Raffalovich survived Charlotte Mansfield Raffalovich when she died in 1936, aged 55 years.
References
External links Charlotte Mansfield's listing on IMDb