Elisabeth Severance Prentiss or ''Mrs. Francis Fleury Prentiss'' (1865–1944) was an American philanthropist from Cleveland, Ohio. Elisabeth Severance was born into a wealthy home as the daughter of the oil magnate Louis Severance and Fanny Benedict. She grew up in Cleveland and graduated at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1887. She enjoyed the Boston galleries and returned to Cleveland to improve educational and arts-related institutions, joining her family in their philanthropic role as wealthy citizens of Cleveland. In 1892, she married the surgeon

Dudley Peter Allen Dudley Peter Allen (1852 – 1915) was an American surgeon, teacher, writer, and art patron. He was born in a family of physicians and was educated first at Oberlin College and later Harvard Medical School, becoming an M.D. in 1879. After briefly ...

. Together they were interested in travel and supporting the medical community and the arts. After her father died in 1913 they used her inheritance to collect art and Dudley was on the committee to create an art museum at his alma mater

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

. He died himself in 1915, and after his death Elisabeth commissioned the building from Cass Gilbert. She built a large English manor styled home commissioned from another of his architect favorites,

Charles F. Schweinfurth Charles Frederick Schweinfurth (September 3, 1857 – November 8, 1919) was an American architect in Cleveland, Ohio. His brother Julius Schweinfurth was also an architect and they did some projects as a partnership. Background Schweinfurth w ...

that she named after him, "Glenallen". She also finished his work of expanding St. Luke's Hospital, which is how she met and married the president of that hospital, Dr. Francis Fleury Prentiss. The couple continued to be trustees of the hospital, and she took over his president's position when he died. She enjoyed gardening and a climbing rose was named after her in 1925. She was awarded with a public service medal by the Cleveland

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

in 1928.

Art collection

Her first husband was an expert in Chinese porcelain. File:Clevelandart 1944.184.1.jpg, 1736 Chinese vase File:Clevelandart 1944.190.jpg, 1723 Chinese vase Her brother John Long Severance, died in 1936, leaving her as sole heir of the Severance legacy. Her brother had been a collector of tapestries and paintings. She commissioned a catalogue of his bequest. File:Clevelandart 1915.79.7.jpg, ''Aeneas says Farewell to Dido'', Michael Wauters, 1679 File:Clevelandart 1915.79.8.jpg, ''The Death of Dido'', Michael Wauters, 1679 She owned several portraits of women: File:Clevelandart 1944.90.jpg, ''Portrait of a Woman'',

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

File:Clevelandart 1944.93.jpg, ''Portrait of a Woman'', Gerard ter Borch File:Portrait of Mary Wise by Thomas Gainsborough Clevelandart 1944.82.jpg, ''Portrait of a Mary Wise'', Thomas Gainsborough File:Clevelandart 1944.92.jpg, ''Portrait of a Woman'',

Andrea del Sarto Andrea del Sarto (, , ; 16 July 1486 – 29 September 1530) was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. He was known as an outstanding fresco decorator, painter of altar-pieces, ...

Works

* Expansion of St. Luke's hospital *

Allen Memorial Medical Library Allen Memorial Medical Library is located along Euclid Avenue on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Completed in 1926, the building was named in honor of Dr. Dudley P. Allen. Designed by the Cleveland firm of Wa ...

* Allen Memorial Art Museum
Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation
* Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Bequest, Cleveland Art Museum * Mrs. F.F. Prentiss Fund, Allen Memorial Art Museum She is buried in Lake View Cemetery.Elisabeth Allen Prentiss
on find-a-grave

References

External links

Elisabeth Severance Allen Prentiss
in the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Photo portrait of Elisabeth Severance Prentiss
in 1942 by Cleveland portrait photographer William John Edmondson (1868-1966) {{DEFAULTSORT:Prentiss, Elisabeth Severance 1865 births 1944 deaths American philanthropists Philanthropists from Pennsylvania Severance family