Winthrop was born March 12, 1876 in
Boston, Massachusetts, the older of two daughters, to Robert Charles Winthrop Jr. (1834–1905) and Elizabeth Winthrop (
née Mason). She had a younger sister, Margaret Tyndal Winthrop (1880–1970), who married
James Grant Forbes (1879–1955), of the
Forbes family. Her paternal grandfather was
Robert C. Winthrop, hence she is a direct descendant of
John Winthrop. As an adult, she was primarily known as a wealthy and childless philanthropist, funding the education of
John Kerry, her sister's grandson. The
Boston Globe wrote: -
The Madonna and Child, now in the
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo Winthrop was a world traveler, and is known to have visited
India. While on a trip to
Italy, Winthrop purchased an
oil painting which was thought to be a reproduction of a work by
Andrea del Sarto. In 1935 she donated the painting to the All Saints' Episcopal Church in
West Newbury, Massachusetts. The painting hung over the
choir stalls in an enormous
gilt frame for several years until it was taken down and stored in a closet, and then in the
rectory's
attic. In 1999, it was discovered that the painting was not an imitation, but was
The Madonna and Child by del Sarto. The painting was then sold at auction by
Sotheby's for $1,102,500. The Clara B. Winthrop Trust is named for her. == Personal life ==