Renowned Historian Lillian Miller Dies at 74

Lillian B. Miller '43, an art historian and scholar, died at the age of 74 in a Washington hospital last Thursday. The family reported the cause of death as a cerebral hemorrhage. Miller lived in Bethesda, Md.

Her main intellectual pursuit was the study of 20th century American culture, art and literature. Among numerous teaching positions, she was an art history professor at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a historian at the National Portrait Gallery.

"Academics was her life," said her husband of 49 years, Nathan, yesterday in a telephone interview. "It meant thought. It meant being with students. It meant the hashing out of ideas. It meant assimilating American culture. It was the essence of her life, the pursuit of ideas."

The foundations of Miller's pursuits were laid at Radcliffe, where she graduated magna cum laude. She wrote her senior honors thesis on Thomas Wolfe.

After graduating from the Dorchester High School for Girls, Miller was the first member of her family to go on to college. Miller commuted from Mattapan and worked her way through Radcliffe as a secretary.

Her husband said that while Miller never felt like a second-class citizen, being a commuter forced her to work harder and prevented her from engaging in the much of the life of the College. However, he said Miller still appreciated her Radcliffe experience.

Literature was her long-time passion, he said.

"What motivated her as a scholar was a strong commitment to literature, which she generated on her own," her husband said.

The quality of Miller's work so impressed Columbia University's faculty that it recommended her to Bard College, where she was invited to teach literature to G.I.'s. She taught while finishing research for her master's thesis.

Her dissertation, published in 1969, received much attention for its original research into the growth of American culture and art. The dissertation, titled "Patrons and Patriotism: The Encouragement of Fine Arts in the United States: 1790-1860," filled a large intellectual void in art history.

In addition to having a commitment to the humanities, Miller was also deeply concerned about the quality of higher education. Cognizant of cultural issues, she worried about the dilution of instruction and the effect of cultural issues on academia.

Miller also wrote volumes on the Peale family of artists. Her scholarly attention greatly augmented the reputation of the Peales, leading to the $4 million sale of a portrait painted by Rembrandt Peale in 1986. Before Miller's work, the Peales had enjoyed little artistic reknown and recognition.

In the eyes of her family, her academic excellence was equalled only by her personal qualities.

Her husband praised her as a "joyous, witty and stunning woman." He emphasized that the dedication that distinguished her academic experience also characterized her family life.

Miller is survived by her husband, a son, two daughters, four sisters and six grandchildren