Torfhildur Hólm was born at Kálfafellsstaður in Suðursveit, South-Iceland, on February 2, 1845. Her parents were Rev. Thorsteinn Einarsson and Guðríður Torfadóttir. She married the merchant Jakob Hólm, but became young a widow because her husband died after only one year of marriage. Torfhildur studied English and crafts in Reykjavík. She moved to Canada in 1876 and her first short stories were published in 1878 in the Canadian-Icelandic newspaper Framfari. She was the first Icelandic woman to write novels, but Torfhildur wrote e.g. historical novels about the bishops Jón Arason and Brynjólf Sveinsson. Torfhildur moved back to Iceland in 1889. Althingi decided to give her 500 ISK in author's salary and she thus became the first Icelander to receive artist's salary. Torfhildur died on November 14, 1918. Her flower drawings are preserved in the Library´s manuscript collection under the collection mark Lbs 3988 4to and testify to her dexterity. The manuscript includes descriptions of the flowers she draws.