Josephine Elder was the penname of Dr. Olive Gwendoline Potter, a British children's author who is primarily known for her girls school stories. Of the ten novels she published in this genre, Evelyn Finds Herself (1929), is usually considered the strongest. Elder was also a prolific short story writer, and her pieces were often included in girls annuals.

Elder was educated at Croydon High School and later at Cambridge University, where she studied medicine. In addition to her career as a children's author, she wrote six novels for adults (as both Margaret Potter and Josephine Elder), and was a practicing doctor from 1923 to 1983.