Charles van Ravenswaay

Charles van Ravenswaay (August 10, 1911 – 1990) was an American historian, museum administrator, and author. He served as State Superintendent of the Missouri Writer's Project, producing Missouri: The WPA Guide to the "Show Me" State in 1941. He served as director of the Missouri Historical Society from 1946–1962, and as president of the American Association of Museums from 1961–1962. Born in Boonville, Missouri, van Ravenswaay attended Washington University in St. Louis graduating with an A.B. in 1933 an MA in 1934. From 1966–1976, van Ravenswaay served as director of the Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum and Gardens He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Maryville College of the Sacred Heart, St. Louis in 1968 and an honorary Doctor of Humanities from the University of Missouri in 1980.

Van Ravenswaay has published three books: The Arts and Architecture of German Settlements in Missouri: A Survey of a Vanishing Culture (University of Missouri Press, 1977); A Nineteenth Century Garden (Main Street Press/Universe Books, 1977); and "Drawn from Nature." The Botanical Art of Joseph Prestele and His Sons (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1984).

References

• WHMC Columbia papers: Charles van Ravenswaay