The journalistic veil has concealed so much of her press work'

Centennial Magazine September 1890

Emily Manning was in her lifetime accorded much praise as a poet. It was not until after her death that her great contribution as one of the first women in journalism in Australia was recognised.

Emily Matilda Manning was born into a well-to-do upper class family in Sydney on the 12th May 1845, a daughter of Sir William Manning, the famous lawyer and politician, and his first wife formerly Emily Wise who died the year after Emily's birth. She was educated at a private school and later Professor John Woolley, first Professor of classics at the University of Sydney, encouraged her to take an interest in literature, From 1860 she lived at 'Wollaroy', the mansion her father, at the time a very wealthy man, had built at Edgecliff.

When Emily was about nineteen she is believed to have been romantically involved with David Scott Mitchell, later the benefactor whose book collection formed the basis of the Mitchell Library. The two were part of the same social circle and exchanged some light-hearted poems in October and November 1864. (1) Emily Manning soon left for London. On the voyage a fellow passenger a Catholic priest, impressed by her mental ability, offered to teach her logic and she spent a portion of each day of the voyage in study. In England she had connections and introductions which allowed her to move into the literary world, meeting Tennyson, Browning, Huxley and George Elliot....