Charlotte Perkins Gilman (July 3, 1860 - August 17, 1935)

( Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / March 18, 2013 )

Gilman was a sociologist and a writer of short stories, poetry and nonfiction. Born in Hartford, she was a notable lecturer for social reform. One of Gilman's best works of nonfiction, Women and Economics, called for women to gain economic independence. But, arguably her most well-known work is her semi-autobiographical short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," which she wrote after a severe bout of postpartum psychosis.