Biographical entry King, Georgina (1845 - 1932)

Summary

Georgina King was self-taught and, encouraged by George Bennett, developed an interest in geology. However, she propounded eccentric theories and was frustrated by lack of recognition by scientists and learned societies.

Details

Undertook field studies in geology during the 1860s and early 1870s. Travelled to England, Ireland and Europe 1881, where she studied rock formations and collected specimens. Worked on her collection on her return to Sydney. Joined the first Science Congress held in Sydney in 1888. Believed she had discovered that Australian mineral wealth was "intrusive and found in eruptive rock, and with it the origins of nuggets." Fellow, Royal Anthropological Society of Australasia.

Archival resources

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

• Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller - Records, 581.61 2C1; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
• Georgina King - Records, 1888 - 1921, ML MSS 2117; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
• Georgina King - Records, 1889 - 1930, ML MSS 273; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

National Herbarium, Melbourne

• Georgina King - Records, 1894, MSS M13; National Herbarium, Melbourne. Details

Powerhouse Museum

• Georgina King - Records, 1892 - 1900, MRS 4, MRS 202; Powerhouse Museum. Details

Published resources

Books

• King, Georgina, The Palaeozoic Carboniferous Formations in New South Wales and the Occurrence of Our Mineral Wealth, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1895. Details
• King, Georgina, The Mineral Wealth of New South Wales, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1906, 33 pp. Details
• King, Georgina, The Mineral Wealth of New South Wales and Other Lands and Countries, William Brooks, Sydney, 1911, 36 pp. Details
• King, Georgina, The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania, William Brooks, Sydney, 1924, 24 pp. Details
• King, Georgina, Evolution: the Discovery of the Missing Link, William Brooks, Sydney, 1926, 31 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Bygott, Ursula and Hooker, Claire, 'King, Georgina (1845-1932), Amateur Geologist and Anthropologist', in Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. Supplement, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 2005, pp. 216-217. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/AS10267b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Branagan, D. F., 'Georgina King: Geological Prophet or Lost?', The University of Sydney Archives Record, no. 2, 1982, pp. 4-9. Details
• Bygott, Ursula, 'Georgina King: Amateur Geologist and Anthropologist', The University of Sydney Archives Record, vol. 9, no. 2, 1982, pp. 12-17. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'King, Georgina', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-619515. Details