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His Little Friend is Katherine Mansfield’s first published short story. It pre-dates what was previously thought to be her earliest published work by seven years and was printed under her birth name of Kathleen Beauchamp one day before her 12th birthday in The New Zealand Graphic & Ladies Journal on 13 October 1900. It was discovered in 2016 within the collections of Wellington City Libraries by the historian and journalist Redmer Yska in the course of researching his biography A strange beautiful excitement; Katherine Mansfield’s Wellington, 1888 – 1903 (Otago University Press, 2017). The original from which this scan is taken is believed to be one of the last remaining hard-copies in existence.

The story was submitted by Mansfield to 'Cousin Kate', the children’s page editor of the magazine. At the time her family were residing at what today would have been 133 Tinakori Road (formerly numbered 75 Tinakori road and since demolished for the construction of the Wellington motorway), the fourth of five Thorndon properties the Beauchamps lived in. Though her family were wealthy, she would have regularly witnessed the poverty and harsh conditions that many of the poorer residents of the area lived in as that section of Tinakori Road formed an unofficial boundary between the middle-class (eastern) and working-class (western) sides of the suburb. These conditions are reflected in the story as is the nature of the relationship between her parents in the opening paragraphs.

The New Zealand Graphic was published weekly in Auckland from 1890 through to the start of World War I during a period of enormous economic and population growth. Distributed nationally, it targeted a new generation of emancipated, aspirational middle-class women. It was particularly notable for its extremely high quality photograph reproduction on glossy paper which equalled anything being produced overseas at the time.  The magazine consisted of news, society gossip (with regional 'stringers' providing a weekly update of local garden parties, weddings and other social engagements from around the country), the latest fashions and original writing. It also regularly featured news and photographs relating to Maori and a double-spread 'children's page' appeared on the inside back-cover of each issue.

A full account of the story and how it was discovered is covered in Redmer Yska’s book. See the external links below for further information.