Mary Alice Dyckman Dean (1869–1950) married Dr Bashford Dean (1867–1928) in 1893; he was a distinguished zoologist, curator of arms and armour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and professor of zoology at Columbia University. She was a benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a patron of the American Museum of Natural History; she was also a member of various other historical and geographical societies. Bashford Dean carried out research in Europe on behalf of the United States Fish Commission of oyster culture. To this end, he travelled through England, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy and also Japan. During these journeys, in addition to satisfying her scientific curiosity, she was also able to indulge her interest in antiquities, particularly weapons and armour, which found a home in her family residence in Riverdale, New York. This space became the primary model for what would later become the display of the weapons and armour collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to which she devoted considerable effort.
Bibliography
(1950): "Mrs. Dean, a donor of Museum to City; Widow of Noted Zoologist Is Dead. Made Gift in 1915 of the Dyckman House", en The New York Times, 16 de mayo de 1950, p. 28.
GREGORY, William K. (1928): "Bashford Dean", vol. 68, nº 1774, en Science.