Wilhelmina van Ingen Elarth (1905-1969) was an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

and

classical studies Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages ...

professor. She studied at Vassar and received her doctorate at Radcliffe. In addition to her research contributions to the classics, she also bridged her interest to contemporary art and architecture. Her grandfather was

Henry van Ingen Henry Van Ingen (12 November 1833, The Hague - 17 November 1898, Poughkeepsie, New York) was a Dutch painter who for many years taught art at Vassar College in the United States. Career Hendrik van Ingen studied at the Hague Academy of Design fr ...

Early life

Van Ingen was a second-generation American after her grandfather,

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. Early on, the paintings typically depicted the Hudson River Valley and the sur ...

painter Henry van Ingen, emigrated to the US. She was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, in 1905. Her father was the architect Hendrik van Ingen.

Education

Van Ingen received her undergraduate degree at Vassar in 1926 before traveling to Greece to study at the

American School of Classical Studies The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; ) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federati ...

, participating in excavations at

Eleusis Elefsina () or Eleusis ( ; ) is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs to West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is located in the Thriasio Plain, at the northernmost ...

. She continued her education back in the US at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

with a master's degree in art history and classical archaeology in 1929. In 1932, when she graduated from Radcliffe with a doctorate, her dissertation was titled "A Study of the Foundry Painter and the Alkimachos Painter."

Controversy

Van Ingen was one of the female archaeology students working under David M. Robinson in 1927, along with her fellow researcher, Eunice Stebbins. During her time in Greece, she wrote around 90 letters to her mother, which are now stored in the archives at

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

. As she attempted to earn her PhD under Robinson, she found conflict in his style, both professionally as an excavator, and as a mentor. They parted ways in 1928 when she moved to Harvard-Radcliffe.

Career and private life

Van Ingen held position as a researcher at

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

's Institute of Archaeological Research. Van Ingen taught at Wheaton College as an art professor from 1935 to 1946. During her tenure, she married Herschel A. Elarth (1942), an architect like her father and a professor of architecture at

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. The couple moved to Manitoba in 1947, with both finding positions at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

, hers in art history. In 1954, the couple moved to

Blacksburg, Virginia Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 44,826 at the 2020 census. Blacksburg and the surrounding county is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of Virginia T ...

, when Herschel received a position in the art department of

. Van Ingen supported a variety of groups, including: *

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

(branch president for Blackburg, 1964 to 1966) * Blacksburg Regional Art Association (advisor) * Associated Endowment Fund of the American School of Classical Studies (director) *

Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America, North America's oldest learned society and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. AIA professionals have carried out archaeological fieldwork around the world and ...

(member) * the College Art Association (member) *

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

(member) Van Ingen Elarth died after a year-long illness on January 7, 1969, in Roanoke.

Writings

* ''Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum''. Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, 1933. * ''Figurines from Seleucia''. Ann Arbor: The

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is a university press that is a part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earn ...

, 1939. * "Reply to Critics of Art Exhibit." ''

Winnipeg Tribune ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890, to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old ' ...

'', December 1951 * "Milestone for the Manitoba Society" The Manitoba Society of Artists, 1938-1955 *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elarth, Wilhelmina van Ingen 1905 births 1969 deaths People from Rochester, New York University of Michigan faculty Vassar College alumni Radcliffe College alumni Wheaton College (Massachusetts) faculty Academic staff of the University of Manitoba Virginia Tech faculty 20th-century American archaeologists Historians from New York (state)