Mather, Frank Jewett, 1868-1953

Frank Jewett Mather was born on July 6,1868, in Deep River Connecticut. Mather attended Williams College for his undergraduate studies and then obtained a Ph.D. in English, Philology, and Literature from Johns Hopkins University. In college he developed a deep appreciation for art, and began to pursue his own creative career. From 1893 to 1900, Mather took a break from his painting to teach at Williams College. In 1901 he changed paths and entered the journalism world, working at The Nation and The New York Evening Post . In 1906 Mather moved to Italy, where he met Allan Marquand. Marquand convinced Mather to move to Princeton and become a professor in the Department of Art and Archaeology, a department founded by Allan Marquand himself. In 1912 Mather produced two highly acclaimed books, Homer Martin, Poet in Landscape, an art history, and The Collectors, a collection of short stories. In 1920 he began work with the Smithsonian Art Commission. Two years later he became director of Princeton University's art museum, and in 1933 became a professor emeritus there. Mather spent much of his retirement on his Bucks County farm, and passed away on November 11, 1953, in Princeton.

From the guide to the Frank Jewett Mather Papers, 1906-1948, (Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections)

Frank Jewett Mather (1868-1953) was an American art critic and professor of art and archaeology at Princeton University.

From the guide to the Frank Jewett Mather Autograph Collection, 1700-1900, (Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections)