Clara Erskine Clement Waters

Clara Erskine Clement Waters (1834–1916) was an American writer on art and travel, born in St. Louis and long resident in Boston. She published her handbooks under the name Clara Erskine Clement. A Handbook of Legendary and Mythological Art of 1871 was followed by Painters, Sculptors, Architects, Engravers and Their Works, Artists of the Nineteenth Century, written with Laurence Hutton, Women in the Fine Arts, A History of Art for Beginners and Students, and guides to Naples, Venice and Rome. Her books, compiled from wide reading and travel, served American readers as introductions to European art before museums and university courses were widely available.