Florence Lewis May (December 9, 1899 - September 6, 1988) 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

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. May was the Curator of Textiles Emeritus at the

Hispanic Society of America The Hispanic Society of America operates a museum and reference library for the study of the arts and cultures of Spain and Portugal and their former colonies in Latin America, the Spanish East Indies, and Portuguese India. Despite the name, it ...

for the entire length of her career.

Career

Born in Fairfield to Edward Everrett and Annie May Lockwood, May was deafened at the age of five from

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or a ...

. She graduated from the

American School for the Deaf The American School for the Deaf (ASD), originally ''The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf'', is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States, and the first school for children with disa ...

in 1916, and then from

Gallaudet College Gallaudet University ( ) is a private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the Hearing loss, deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a gramma ...

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 1921. There, May was a member of Phi Kappa Zeta. In the year prior to graduating, May was hired by

Archer Milton Huntington Archer Milton Huntington (March 10, 1870 – December 11, 1955) was a philanthropist and scholar, primarily known for his contributions to the field of Hispanic Studies. He founded The Hispanic Society of America in New York City, and made n ...

to work at the

. In 1945, she was given an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from her alma mater. May would spend the rest of her sixty-year career at the Hispanic Society, eventually rising to the rank of Curator of Textiles. Upon retirement in 1981, she was honored with the title of Emeritus there. A scholar of textile art, May published articles on the topic in such academic journals as ''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

'' and ''Pantheon'' during the 1960s and 1970s. She died at

Arnot Ogden Medical Center Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a medical facility in Elmira, New York, previously known as Arnot-Ogden Memorial Hospital, founded in 1888. History Construction of the ''Arnot-Ogden Memorial Hospital'' was completed in 1888. The former ''Arnot-Og ...

in 1988 at the age of eighty-eight.

Works

*''Catalogue of Laces and Embroideries in the Collection of the Hispanic Society of America'' (1936) *''Hispanic Lace and Lace Making'' (1939) *''Silk Textiles of Spain: Eighth to Fifteenth Century'' (1957) *''Rugs of Spain and Morocco: Examples from the Collection of the Hispanic Society of America'' (1977)

References

External links

Gallaudet University profileFind a Grave profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Florence Lewis 1899 births 1988 deaths Deaf people from the United States Writers from Fairfield, Connecticut American art historians Women art historians Textile historians American women curators American curators

Career

Works

See also

References

External links