Lutegarda Guimarães de Caires

Lutegarda Guimarães de Caires, also Lutgarda and Luthegarda, (1858–1935) was a Portuguese women's rights activist and poet.

She is remembered for starting the Portuguese tradition of bringing gifts of clothes, toys and sweets to children in hospital at Christmas.

In addition to her award-winning poetry, Lutgarda de Caires published articles in the press calling for equal opportunities for women and improvements to their property rights.

After her mother died when she was still a small child, she and her brother were lovingly cared for by her father who introduced them to the harp, violin and sitar.

[1] While still young, Guimarães left the Algarve and moved to Lisbon where she met and later married João de Caires, a lawyer from Madeira.