Illustration by Virginia Frances Sterrett for Old French Fairytales (1920), a collection of works from the 19th-century French author, Comtesse de Ségur. The exquisite set of illustrations were Chicago-born Sterrett's first ever commission, taken on at the tender age of 19. Shortly after completing them she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Sterrett would manage a few other commissions, including illustrations for a 1928 edition of Arabian Nights, but her failing health meant she could only work in short bursts. She eventually passed away in 1931, at the age of 30. (Image source: California Digital Library via Internet Archive)