Overview of the Early Years
It was out of Miss Frick's pocket that the fine arts staff were payed, including those who were working with her to get the library up and running (Alberts 1986, 351). This included Professor Frederick Mortimer Clapp, who Miss Frick sent on a year long trek across Europe to buy books, slides, and equipment for the library (Alberts 1986, 351). Some documented countries that Dr. Clapp traveled to included England, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy (The University of Pittsburgh Record 1927, 44). The history states that "Miss Frick sent him to acquire volumes essential for the finest university art history libraries" (Friends of Frick Fine Arts 1987, 21). Dr. Clapp, under the recommendation of Harvard University's chairman of Fine Arts, was also to be the director of the Fine Arts Department at Pitt starting in 1927 (Alberts 1986, 351).
The library was "reported in the October 1927 issue of the University of Pittsburgh Record to own 1,000 volumes. Within another year, under Dr. Clapp’s leadership and knowledgeable acquisitions, the collection had grown to 3,100 volumes purchased for $26,631.86" (Friends of Frick Fine Arts 1987, 21). Later down the road, when asked in 1986 about his thoughts on the Frick Fine Arts Library, Carnegie Mellon art history Professor Jean Seznac stated that the library had a good foundation, and that it was "extremely well stocked with reference works and periodicals" (Alberts 1986, 353).
