Martha Orr was one of the few successful female cartoonists of her generation. Her uncle was Carey Orr, cartoonist with the Chicago Tribune. She created the newspaper comic about the old but wise 'Apple Mary' in 1934. Orr's strip dealt directly and realisticly with the Great Depression, mixing the theme of economic hardship with melodramatic storylines. Publishers Syndicate began distributing it to newspapers and it quickly rose in circulation.
The character lost her trademark apple cart and the strip gradually evolved into 'Mary Worth' after it was continued by Allen Saunders and Dale Connor in 1938, when Martha Orr retired to devote herself to her family. In 1942, Ken Ernst became the artist on the series. Mary Worth's popularity was such that it is still running today through King Features Syndicate. Although there is some debate over whether Apple Mary is the same character as Mary Worth...
