Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Severance, John L. (John Long), 1863-1936

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role Collector
dates 1863-1936
city Cleveland
stateOH
other citiesOberlin, OH;
sex M
historical notes John Long Severance (1863-1936) was an industrialist, philanthropist, art patron, collector and connoisseur.

Severance worked in the oil (Standard Oil), paint and varnish (Cleveland Linseed), salt (Colonial Salt), sulphur (Linde Air Prods), banking (Cleveland Trust Co.) and steel industries (Youngstown Steel Door and Youngstown Sheet & Tube Cos.)

He was an member of the Cleveland Community Fund and a trustee of Oberlin College, Western Reserve University, and Nanking University in China.

Severance was both a patron and benefactor for the Cleveland Musuem of Art and left a collection valued at over $3 million.

In addition to 15th-Century Italian sculpture, medieval Gothic tapestries, ceramics and other decorative arts The John Long Severance Collection included work by, among others, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Rembrandt, Aelbrecht Bouts, Hobbema, Cuyp, Lawrence, Gainsborough, Turner and Van Dyck.

The Cleveland Orchestra (Severance Hall) and the Severance Medical School and Hospital in Seoul, Korea were among his charities.

John L Severance was married to Elizabeth DeWitt Severance (1865-1929) in 1891.
decades
of activity
1890-1900
1900-1910
1910-1920
1920-1930
1930-1940
updated 10/31/2024 13:33:18
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Archives/Repository Collection Title Collection Details
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Ingalls Library and Archives
Records of the Director's Office: Frederic Allen Whiting, 1913-1930 see details...
Western Reserve Historical Society
Library
Severance family papers, 1827-1892. see details...
Western Reserve Historical Society
Library
Severance family papers, series II, 1826-1989. see details...
Western Reserve Historical Society
Library
Severance family photographs, 1846-1950 [graphic]. see details...
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Library and Archives
Papers of William J. Collins, 1902-1958. see details...

see also:
Prentiss, Elisabeth Severance Allen, 1865-1944