Anna Scripps Whitcomb (March 5, 1866 – March 28, 1953) was an American philanthropist. She was the daughter of ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...

'' founder James E. Scripps. She was an avid gardener and art collector. After her husband died in 1930 she became specialized in orchidiae. At her death she bequeathed her art collection to the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the list of largest art museums, largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation a ...

, where it is known as the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb. She had previously donated

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sens ...

's ''

Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine The mystical marriage of Saint Catherine (or "Mystic") covers two different subjects in Christian art arising from visions received by either Catherine of Alexandria or Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), in which these virgin saints went through a ...

'' in memory of her father, who had also been a museum founder.museum record
at DIA In April 1955 she gave her 600 orchids collection to

Belle Isle Conservatory The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (commonly and locally known as the Belle Isle Conservatory) is a greenhouse and a botanical garden located on Belle Isle, a island park located on the Detroit River within Detroit, Michigan. While located ne ...

, which was therefore renamed in her honor on April 6, 1955. Many of these exotic orchids had been saved from Britain throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

1866 births 1953 deaths People from Detroit category:American philanthropists {{US-bio-stub