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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Martha Sawyers
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Martha Sawyers

American, 1902 - 1988
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Place of BirthCuero, Texas
Place of DeathConnecticut
Texas native Martha Sawyers studied at the Art Students League in New York City and created newspaper and magazine illustrations of film and stage stars before embarking with her husband on an extended journey through the South Pacific and Asia. The couple eventually settled in Beijing until Japan’s invasion of China in 1937. After returning to New York, Sawyers became known for her illustrations of Asian and South Pacific cultures for "Collier’s" magazine. During World War II she was a war correspondent and illustrator for "Collier’s" and "LIFE."