author
Winifred Holt
1870–1945
A sculptor turned reformer, she became one of the best-known advocates for blind people in early 20th-century America. Her work helped build practical training, services, and public understanding that lasted far beyond her lifetime.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in New York in 1870, Winifred Holt was an American sculptor, writer, and philanthropist. She was the daughter of publisher Henry Holt, studied art in Florence, and first built a career making portraits, busts, and bas-reliefs.
After experiencing serious vision problems herself, she devoted much of her life to improving opportunities for blind people. She founded the New York Association for the Blind in 1909, an organization that later became Lighthouse International, and she pushed for vocational training and greater independence rather than pity or isolation.
Her public work made her an important figure in American social welfare. She also wrote about blindness and related causes, helping more readers understand the everyday lives and abilities of blind people. She died in 1945, remembered for combining artistic talent with energetic, practical reform.