Gertrude Clarke Whittall

Gertrude Clarke Whittall (1867-1965): I only came across her name because the Paganini collection at the Library of Congress Music Section is named after her. Her name is all over my footnotes and references, yet I never knew who she was or even what she looked like. Recently when I was going through Boris Schwarz's books, I came across a book by William Dana Orcutt called. The Stradivari Memorial at Washington, the National Capital (NY: Da Capo Press, 1977). Opposite p. 20, who should I find but Gertrude Clarke Whittall, pictured in 1907. Who was this mysterious benefactress and what was her role in getting all those priceless Paganini materials to Washington, D.C.?