Ethelwyn Manning (23 November 1885 – 1 June 1972) was the second Chief Librarian of the

Frick Art Reference Library The Frick Art Research Library (formerly known as the Frick Art Reference Library) is the art library of the Frick Collection in New York City. The library, founded at the Henry Clay Frick House in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick, offers access to mater ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she assisted the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) on Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas, later known as the

Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section Unit (MFAA) was a program established by the Allies of World War II, Allies in 1943 to help protect cultural property in war areas during and after World War II. The group of about 400 service membe ...

(MFAA).

Education

Manning graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

in 1908 and the school of Library Science at

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...

in 1911. She also studied at the Training School for Children's Librarians at the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh.

Career

Manning began her career as a Children's Librarian at the

Brooklyn Public Library The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two Brooklyn Publ ...

in 1909. She subsequently held positions in the public libraries of

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States Census, 2000. Burlington ...

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

, Iowa, and

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

. In 1917, she was appointed Head Cataloger of the

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

Library in Massachusetts. In September 1924, Manning was appointed the second Chief Librarian of the Frick Art Reference Library, a research institute dedicated to promoting the study of art history and related subjects that had been founded four years earlier by Helen Clay Frick as a memorial to her father, the collector

Henry Clay Frick Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company and played a major ...

. Manning worked at the Frick Art Reference Library for twenty-four years, overseeing the institution's transfer from its original location in a two and one-half story building at 6 East 71st Street to its present thirteen story building located at 10 East 71st Street. During World War II, when the Committee of the

American Council of Learned Societies The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a private, nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations in the humanities and related social sciences founded in 1919. It is best known for its fellowship competitions which provide a ra ...

(ACLS) on Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas was in residence at the Library, she worked alongside art historians on the Committee to prepare maps detailing the location of art treasures and landmarks in war zones and in danger of Nazi plundering. Manning was also instrumental in developing the institution's collection of study photographs of works of art, acquiring thousands of reproductions from European photographers and hiring photographers in the United States to travel through the country and photograph inaccessible paintings in private collections. The resulting collection, which presently comprises more than one million images, documents the Western artistic tradition.Frick Art Reference Library Photoarchive: Holdings (2015). http://www.frick.org/research/photoarchive/holdings . Retrieved 15 March 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Ethelwyn 1885 births American librarians American women librarians Employees of the Frick Art Research Library Smith College alumni Art and cultural repatriation Art and cultural repatriation after World War II 1972 deaths