Background
Ethel was born and spent most of her life living in Englewood, New Jersey. Ethel Bliss Platt was born Ethel Appleby Bliss to Delos and Emily Bliss on October 25, 1881 and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey.
Ethel was born and spent most of her life living in Englewood, New Jersey. Ethel Bliss Platt was born Ethel Appleby Bliss to Delos and Emily Bliss on October 25, 1881 and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey.
She died in 1971 following a stroke. Ethel Bliss had participated actively in the junior tennis tournaments around New Jersey as a youth. In 1894, The New York Times wrote about the Englewood tennis club which included Helen Homans and other standouts.
In the article it highlighted that "there is a little girl of about thirteen who will surpass them all if her tennis ability is properly developed.
The phenomenon is Mission Ethel Bliss whose backhand and forehand drives are worthy of a veteran."
The highlight of her playing career was the championship in the 1906 United States. National Championships in doubles with Ann Burdette Coe, 6-4, 6-4 over Helen Homans and Clover Boldt
Doubles titles (1)
They lived in Englewood for the rest of their lives but with regular trips to Europe for art collection and traveling Dan and Ethel built an Italian Palazzo house named Ambercrof.
Dan Platt built one of the largest art collections in the United States with 400,000 photographs of art relics, 1,600 drawings spanning the 1500s until the 1900s, and many key pieces from the renaissance period, mostly from Siena. Ethel inherited the significant collection and sold some prominent works and gave much the rest to Princeton University.
One notable piece was a Giovanni di Paolo panel with Madonna surrounded by Saint Margaret the Virgin and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
She gave it as a loan to the Princeton University Art Museum. She sold some of the collection but upon her death in 1971, the remainder was provided to Princeton University as per Dan Fallows Platt"s will. In fall of 1970, she reportedly saw a firefly in the meadow behind her house and, because it was not the season for fireflies, went outside to investigate.
Upon leaving her house she had a mild stroke and died in June the next year.
Ethel Bliss Platt is one of the six people highlighted in James Lord"s 1998 book A Gift for Admiration: Further Memories. Lord, who knew Ethel for much of his life, wrote "lieutenant was not necessary in her company to become acquainted with painters or men of letters, because she herself so admirably embodied what was most precious in the works and pleasures of the men and women who sustained our companionship.
They were the rare, great spirits of Western culture, and she was very like many of them.".