author

F. B. (Frank Bigelow) Tarbell

1853–1920

Known for making classical art and archaeology approachable, this American scholar wrote clearly about Greek art for general readers as well as students. His best-known work, A History of Greek Art, helped bring the ancient world to a wider audience.

1 Audiobook

A History of Greek Art

A History of Greek Art

by F. B. (Frank Bigelow) Tarbell

About the author

Born in 1853, Frank Bigelow Tarbell was an American classicist, historian, and archaeologist whose writing centered on the art and material culture of the ancient Mediterranean. Surviving bibliographic records show a substantial body of work on Greek art, bronzes, sarcophagi, costume, and museum collections, suggesting a career shaped by both teaching and close study of objects.

Tarbell is especially associated with A History of Greek Art, a book that was issued in multiple editions and remained widely available for years. He also wrote more specialized studies, including works on Etruscan painted sarcophagi and antiquities in major museum collections, showing his range from broad introduction to focused scholarly research.

Library and catalog sources identify him as living from 1853 to 1920. One modern author listing describes him as having taught classical studies at the University of Chicago, but because that detail was not confirmed in the other sources reviewed here, it is best taken cautiously.