Donald Drew Egbert (May 12, 1902 – January 3, 1973) was an American
art historian
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
and
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, who taught for many years at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
.
Career
Born in
Norwalk to George Drew and Kate Estelle Powers, Egbert graduated from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1924 and a
Master of Architecture
The “Master of Architecture”(M.Arch or MArch) or a “Bachelor of Architecture” is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that res ...
in 1927. He pursued a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
there, as well, but never completed it, studying under
Charles Rufus Morey
Charles Rufus Morey (20 November 1877 – 28 August 1955) was an American art historian, professor, and chairman of the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University from 1924 to 1945. He had expertise in medieval art and founded the I ...
.
Egbert first began teaching as an instructor of
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
and
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
at Princeton in 1929, and a year later, as a lecturer in
ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
at
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...
. At this time, Egbert was a scholar of
medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art in Europe, and at certain periods in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, gen ...
, but maintained a strong interest in
American architecture
The architecture of the United States demonstrates a broad variety of architectural styles and built forms over the country's history of over two centuries of independence and former Spanish and British rule.
Architecture in the United States ...
. In 1935, Egbert was hired as Assistant Professor at Princeton. In 1943, he was awarded the fourth-ever
Haskins Medal
The Haskins Medal is an annual medal awarded by the Medieval Academy of America. It is awarded for the production of a distinguished book in the field of medieval studies.
Award
The Haskins Medal is awarded by a committee of three; a chairman, and ...
by the
Medieval Academy of America
The Medieval Academy of America (MAA; spelled Mediaeval until c. 1980) is the largest organization in the United States promoting the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The academy publishes ...
for his work on studying the
Tickhill Psalter
The Tickhill Psalter is a fourteenth-century illuminated manuscript. The psalter is illustrated with scenes from the life of King David, and is now kept in the New York Public Library.
History
Created in circa 1310, the manuscript was originall ...
, which helped to earn him a promotion to Associate Professor in the following year. In 1946, Egbert was yet again promoted to Professor of Art, Archeology, and Architecture, and married the art historian Virginia Grace Wylie. In 1968, Egbert's position was endowed and he became the
Howard Crosby Butler
Howard Crosby Butler (March 7, 1872 Croton Falls, New York – August 13, 1922 Neuilly) was an American archaeologist. Butler graduated from Princeton University, and later pursued special studies at the Columbia School of Architecture and at the ...
Memorial Professor of the History of Architecture, retiring in 1970 and becoming emeritus. He died only three years later in
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
.
A major contribution by Egbert to
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
was his book titled ''Social Radicalism and the Arts, Western Europe: A Cultural History from the French Revolution to 1968'' in 1970.
The publication was one of the first surveys of radical political agendas in the history of
Western art
The art of Europe, or Western art, encompasses the history of visual art in Europe. European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and was characteristic of the period between the Paleol ...
.
See also
*
List of Bryn Mawr College people
*
List of people from Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut, has been home to numerous notable people, residents and others, past and present.
See also:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowayton,_Connecticut?searchToken=44laps21mgis803113xu8hv3x#Notable_people
Authors, writers
* ...
*
List of Princeton University people
This list of Princeton University people include notable alumni (graduates and attendees) or faculty members (professors of various ranks, researchers, and visiting lecturers or professors) affiliated with Princeton University. People who have g ...
References
External links
Dictionary of Art Historians profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egbert, Donald Drew
1902 births
1973 deaths
People from Norwalk, Connecticut
Princeton University alumni
American art historians
American architectural historians
Princeton University faculty
Bryn Mawr College faculty