Cosmos Magazine and Colonial Femininity

Abstract

This article looks at the relatively short and colourful life of Sydney’s <em>Cosmos: An Illustrated Australian Magazine</em>—one of the many ephemeral literary magazines that flourished briefly during the colonial era in Australia, and which have been largely forgotten today. From its beginning in September 1894, <em>Cosmos</em> published poetry, short fiction, book reviews, and literary criticism, aiming to offer readers something ‘that was purely Australian’ as well as providing an important venue for the writings of popular colonial authors such as Louise Mack, Edward Dyson, Ernest Favenc, and many others. This article argues the <em>Cosmos</em> magazine was deeply invested in the development of a distinctively Australian literary culture and that an important focus for accomplishing this was its exploration of metropolitan modes of colonial femininity.