Leila Cook Barber

Leila Cook Barber
A young white woman with dark hair, standing in front of steps and smiling, wearing a casual dress with pockets and a ribbon tie at the collar
Leila Cook Barber, from the 1925 Bryn Mawr College yearbook
Born(1903-01-04)January 4, 1903
Chicago, Illinois, US
DiedDecember 4, 1984(1984-12-04) (aged 81)
Poughkeepsie, New York, US
Other namesLeila Barber
Occupation(s)professor, art historian
Known forRenaissance art and Medieval art
Academic background
Alma materBryn Mawr College (AB)
Radcliffe College (MA)
Academic work
InstitutionsVassar College (1931–1968)

Leila Cook Barber (January 4, 1903 – December 4, 1984)[1] was an American art historian and professor, specializing in the Renaissance art and Medieval studies. She was a Professor Emeritus at Vassar College, where she taught from 1931 until 1968.[2][3]

Biography

Leila Cook Barber was born January 4, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Leila Cook and Courtenay Barber (1877–1951).[4] Her father Courtenay Barber was active in many of the churches in Chicago including the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and served as a trustee of the Seabury Western Seminary.[5] Barber had two siblings.[5]

She received a B.A. degree in Art History in 1925 from Bryn Mawr College, studying under Georgiana Goddard King.[2][6] She received a M.A. degree from Radcliffe College in 1928.[2][7]

In 1931, Barber joined the Vassar College Art Department as their third art historian, where she remained until her retirement in 1968.[2] She served as the Chair of the Art Department from 1965 until 1968.[4] During her time at Vassar starting in 1935, she lived in Josselyn House, serving as the Head Resident and later as a House Fellow.[4][3]

Barber was a member of the College Art Association of America, The Renaissance Society of America, and the Friends of Vassar Art Gallery.[3]

She died December 4, 1984, at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, at the age of 81.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Askew, Pamela; Carroll, Eugene; Drouilhet, Elizabeth; Hunter, Mary Alice; Murphy, Joan (December 1984). "Barber, Lelia, [unknown]-1984 -- Memorial Minute". Vassar College Libraries.
  2. ^ a b c d "Barber, Leila Cook". Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Retired Vassar faculty member Leila Cook Barber, dies at age 81". Newspapers.com. Poughkeepsie Journal. 5 December 1984. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  4. ^ a b c "Leila Cook Barber". Vassar College Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  5. ^ a b "Deaths". The Living Church. Morehouse-Gorham Company. 1951. p. 20.
  6. ^ Bryn Mawr College Calendar, Volume 20, Part 3. Bryn Mawr College. May 1927. pp. 16, 25.
  7. ^ "Barber, Leila Cook G'28". HOLLIS for Archival Discovery. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 2021-03-02.