Annie W. S. Siebert

Annie Ware Sabine Siebert was a trailblazer for the women of her time. In 1886 she became the first recipient of a master of arts from Ohio State University, where a women’s dormitory was named in her honor. Two years later she became one of the first women to be awarded an architecture degree from MIT. Her marriage in 1896 to Wilbur H. Siebert, a professor at Ohio State University, brought her back to Columbus, where she remained until her death in 1947. She studied art at Harvard University, was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters, and exhibited at some of the most prestigious art museums on the East Coast. A dedicated painter, Siebert was also interested in politics and social issues, to the extent that her brother, Dr. Wallace G. Sabine, once wrote, “Why not drop politics for a while and paint.”