Millard, George M., Mrs., 1873-1938

Alice Parsons Millard was born in Jefferson City, Missouri on May 4, 1873. When she was a young girl, her family moved to Chicago. In 1896, she and her sister, Emily, were sent to Europe to be educated; Alice was sent to London to study art. She and bookseller George Millard met in a bookshop in Chicago shortly after Alice returned to the United States. A friendship and partnership began, and in 1901, she accompanied George on his book buying trip to Europe. While in Europe, the two were married. The couple had one child, Roxana, who had disabilities and lived her entire life in an institution. The Millards moved to California in 1914 and opened up a bookstore called "George M. Millard Rare & Fine Imported Books." Their friend Frank Lloyd Wright built them a home in Pasadena known as "La Miniatura;" it was finished in 1923. George died in 1918 and Alice ran the rare book business by herself. She also started buying and selling antiques. In 1926, Frank Lloyd Wright's son, Lloyd, built an addition to their house that became Alice's "Little Museum of the Book," where she would often have exhibits of her books and antiques. Alice, a Christian Scientist, was active in the book trade up to her death of cancer in July 1938. Much of the Millards' collection of books was given to the Huntington Library.

From the description of Papers of Alice Parsons Millard, c.1890-1991 (bulk 1927-1938) (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 318362142