Molly Elliot Seawell

Molly Elliot Seawell, the author of forty books and a number of pieces of nonfiction, was known for her historical romances and a social conservatism out of step with many of the literary trends of the time. Seawell was born in Gloucester, Virginia, into a family that included U.S. president John Tyler (her great-uncle). Seawell was also prominently known for a series of nautically themed adventure books for boys, drawing inspiration from her own seafaring uncle, Joseph Seawell. This uncredited photo appeared in an 1898 issue of the newspaper Truth.