Mildred Stapley Byne (1875-1941) was an American art historian who specialized in Spanish art and architecture. With her husband Arthur Byne (1883-1935), whom she married in 1910,[1] she wrote many of the first academic works in English on the architecture and ironwork of Spanish colonial North America.[2]
Byne's first noted essay on "The Great Queen Isabel" was published in Harper's Monthly Magazine in June 1912.[1][3] Her most famous book is Christopher Columbus, a popular biography that brought new research done in Spanish to English-speaking audiences.[4] Seventeen editions have been published between 1915 and 2012.[5]
Both members of the couple were corresponding members of the Hispanic Society of America,[6] and served as curators of architecture and applied arts from 1916 to 1921.[1] In 1921, the Bynes ended their relationship with the HSA and settled permanently in Madrid.[1]
Through their friend Julia Morgan, the couple helped American collector William Randolph Hearst acquire Spanish art and decorative items.[7] After 1921, the Bynes established themselves as dealers.[1] They also served as historical consultants for Spanish colonial and colonial-style houses in California.[8]
Their work was widely praised, and one reviewer wrote of one of their books: "A book like this is a stimulant to the creative faculty."[9]
In 1931, couple bought a home in Madrid built in 1885 by Don Manuel Caldero, the Marqués de Salamanca.[10] It was purchased by the United States government in 1944 and now serves as an American diplomatic building.[11] In 2006, the building was added to the Register of Culturally Significant Property.[11]
The couple's last name is often misspelled as "Byrne" or "Bryne."[9]