Edward Alden Jewell

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1888, he grew up with strong interests in theater and performance before turning to journalism. After study abroad and early newspaper work, he built a varied career as a reporter, editor, and magazine writer, with stops at the Grand Rapids Herald, the New York Tribune, and other publications.

He joined The New York Times in the 1920s and became assistant to art critic Elisabeth Luther Cary in 1928. After Cary's death in 1936, he succeeded her as the paper's art editor, a role he held until his own death in 1947. Alongside his criticism, he wrote novels and several books on art, including studies of American art and artists such as Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Rouault.

Jewell's writing helped shape how many readers encountered the art world in the first half of the twentieth century. He died in New York in 1947 at the age of 59, leaving behind a body of work that links journalism, literature, and art history.