[5][2] Her father was in the Indian Civil Service, finishing his career as a Member of the Legislative Council for India and later serving as a Justice of the Peace in Middlesex.
[6][7][4] Her parents settled in England in 1870, but Gordon returned before that date to live with her maternal grandparents in Liverpool and then in South Kensington, London.
Specifically, in order to support her spouse's electrical lighting consultancy business she wrote a piece for the Fortnightly Review in February 1891, assisted into the world of journalism by George Meredith, a long-time contributor to that periodical.
The book's line-drawing illustrations by Herbert Fell elegantly portray a rich array of suggestions for how (implicitly female) householders should light each room of the house electrically, including the servants' quarters.
These suggestions borrowed eclectically from various cultural sources: a Cairo or a Pompeii lamp were recommended for the hallway and staircase; dragon pendants and Venetian glass for the dining-room, with cupids and Carton-Pierre brackets advised for the lady's boudoir.
[2] A chapter on 'Shops and Public Buildings' condemned the use of harsh overhead lighting that Gordon reported made many women feel uncomfortable by casting dark shadows under their eyes.
[2] She latterly worked with Agnes Clerke and Mrs Humphry Ward to ensure the representation of women writers in The Woman's Building at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893.