Priscilla Paine was both on April 9, 1907 in Brooklyn NY to Frederick H. and Mary (Tillinghast) Paine. She graduated from Smith College in 1928 and went to Europe to continue her artistic development. In Rome she attended the British Academy before returning to New York City to participate in the Art Students League. She also studied interior design at the New York School of Interior Design. She joined the Smith Department of Art in 1934. She completed a master's degree at Smith in 1938. Her main professional interests were modern art, design and decoration and Latin American art. Van der Poel served in a variety of administrative positions including as chair of the Art Department from 1955 to 1958 and retired from the faculty in 1972. She often traveled to Europe, collected modern art and donated her entire collection to the Smith College Museum of Art. She died on March 19, 1994.
From the description of Priscilla Van der Poel papers, 1926-1994. (Smith College). WorldCat record id: 52204111
