Christine de Pizan (1364-1430), first professional woman author in Europe, was considered by Simone de Beauvoir to be the first woman to 'take up her pen in defense of her sex'. The Library of Congress has a rare copy of Christine’s work, Epistre d'Othea, printed by Philippe Pigouchet around 1499.
In the early 1860s amidst growing unrest between the North and South, American humorist, journalist and political commentator David Ross Locke (1833 - 1888) debuted a character that would be popular with abolitionists for years to come - and with Abraham Lincoln in particular.
Musician and children’s book author Gertrude Ina Robinson (b. 1868) created cloth figurines that match the characters in her children's book series, the Floral Fairies, 13 of which can now be found in the Archive for Floral Fairies and Rainbow Fairies in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress.
Callie Beatie, Junior Fellow Summer of 2023 in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, writes about her experience processing the Russell Maret Artist Archive.