At first glance you might not think she was reading, but of course this is the great Helen Keller (1880-1968) who, having become deaf and blind following an illness aged nineteen months, not only learned to read Braille - which she's doing here - but became a world famous writer and lecturer. Many years ago I remember reading her 1903 book, The Story of My Life, which is wonderfully impressive and inspiring - amazingly, it's now available on Kindle UK for 75p.
"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there’s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."