During the 1930s, the WPA sponsored horseback librarians – all women –
to visit rural Americans, bringing them books; the librarians were only
allowed to make deliveries in counties that had existing libraries, so
schools and other institutions donated materials to establish libraries
that would make their counties eligible.
The program ran until 1943, and, as with many WPA programs, it was
lavishly documented by talented photographers, as a reminder to all of
us in their future that America is a place where we take care of each
other.
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia reading in a formal portrait (1906).
Grand Duchess Maria (1899-1918) was the third daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse). Her murder following the Russian Revolution of 1917 resulted in her canonization as a passion bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.
