author
Elisabeth Luther Cary
1867–1936
A pioneering voice in American art criticism, she helped shape how early 20th-century readers encountered painting, sculpture, and literature. Best known for her long run at The New York Times, she brought a practiced artist’s eye and a lively critic’s voice to her writing.
2 Audiobooks
William Morris: Poet, Craftsman, Socialist
by Elisabeth Luther Cary
Artists Past and Present; Random Studies
by Elisabeth Luther Cary
About the author
Born in Brooklyn on May 18, 1867, Elisabeth Luther Cary was educated at home by her father, a newspaper editor, and spent about a decade studying painting with local teachers. That early training in art gave her a practical understanding of the subjects she would later describe for readers.
Cary became one of the most recognizable art critics of her time, serving as art critic for The New York Times from 1908 until her death in 1936. She also wrote books on artists and literary figures, including studies of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, Tennyson, and Emerson, building a career that moved comfortably between visual art and literature.
Remembered as a writer who helped bring serious art criticism to a broad public, she played an important role in American cultural journalism during the early 20th century. She died in Brooklyn on July 13, 1936.