Mary la fetra russell biography philosophy

Mary LaFetra Russell is very popular with those of us who adore children's book illustrations and in the 19-teens to the late 1930s she illustrated a variety of children's books.  Her art had a gentle charm and tenderness.  Here's just a few of her book covers:

I can't tell you a single thing about Mary though.  I've never been able to find out her birth or death dates, where she lived or even if LaFetra was her maiden name or her mother's.  This is highly unusual but the only newspaper articles I was able to find on her refer to the books she illustrated. 

She also illustrated postcards in the early 19-teens which may signify when she got her professional start in illustration.

Above is what I think was a kit for an embroidered pillow.  You can barely see the dots at the bottom of the photo which surround the piece to form a square.&nb