Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer

Mariana Alley Griswold Van Rensselaer (February 21, 1851 – January 20, 1934), usually known as Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer or M. G. Van Rensselaer, was an American author focusing on architectural criticism. Early life Mariana Alley Griswold was born in New York City on February 21, 1851. She was the daughter of George Griswold and Lydia (née Alley) Griswold (1826–1908). Her younger brothers were Frank Gray Griswold (1855–1937), the stepfather of Cass Canfield, and George Griswold (1857–1917), the vice president and general manager of the Tuxedo Park Association. In 1868, she moved with her family to Dresden, Germany, where she remained for five years. Career She began writing in 1876. The first woman architectural critic, she grew in influence in the 1880s. However, her publications encompassed also art and landscape architecture criticism, fiction, and children's literature. She wrote articles in American Art Review, Century Magazine, and Garden and Forest (in which she wrote many unattributed articles) After refuting an offer to edit the American Art Review in 1881, she began writing for Century Magazine. She advocated that the public should view architectural works, not as just the work of the individual firm owners, but the entire firm (particularly in reference to McKim, Mead, and White), and preferred architectural training at colleges for creating intellectual and genteel architects, rather than the on-the-job training which was common at the time.