Lady American Sculptresses

When I started this post I had no idea what I had promised to do. There are lot of them and they did a lot of good stuff. There are even a few doing some good stuff today! (Master of the understatement).

I said I would add as I went along but it doesn’t work like that! So look for the label Lady American as I will add posts of them instead!

Sally Farnham's "Payday". This is how I have always thought of America!

Of course one’s ignorance is highlighted when one talks about a subject one knows nothing about so please forgive me. As a very isolated Englishman I would be surprised if some one called Elie or Bela turned out to be male, this is as much to do with dyslexic spelling problems as it has in plain ignorance, but in passing I have noted that American female Sculptors seem to use three names, and were very sensitive about their gender.

The French elevate gender to all; it is either masculine or feminine. I am most definitely not French but I make no apology for using Sculptor and Sculptress for The Greatest Of All The Fine Art Skills; and as they say South of Calais “vive la difference”.

Anna Coleman Ladd

Edith Woodman Burrows

Edith Barrett Parsons

Bessie Potter Vonnoh

Nancy Coonsman Hahn

Janet Scudden

Malvina Cornell Hoffman

Sara Morris Greene

Louise Allen

Amanda Petronella Austin
Edith Hope Ogden

Brenda Putnam

Laura Gardin Fraser

Abastenia St Leger Eberle

I have a lot of time for this sculptress and like this one best- known as "Sea Treasures"

Anna Hayatt Huntington

(One of her better works Chris!)

Harriet Frishmuth

Margaret Cresson
Beatrice Fenton

And from Chris, thank you

Sally James Farnham

(Read about her here and here)

and from Michael, thank you

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Evelyn Longman
Bashka Paeff also known as Mrs Samuel Waxman.

All these eminent Sculptresses were around in 1920 or there abouts. No doubt someone can tell me more please do. I do not wish to tread on Chris Miller’s toes here. His website of 20c figure sculpture has good examples of works by these women together with many thousands it seems of others.

I will add works that I like to each Sculptress, this post is one in progress, good thinking Chris.

Many of the works I owe to the Reigngold sale here.

Finally please note a fine contemporary lady from America Amanda Joy Sisk. Some of her work must be seen and you will find the links under Pages on the top right of her blog.

Lady Painters and Sculptors

This is in response to Chris Millers' post on Sally Farnham, one of the many talented Lady Sculptors of America.

Some time ago I was given a book about the paintings and sculpture collected by King Charles I of England, a subject that brought me to thinking about female artists and sculptors over the centuries in Western Art. (The Sale of the Late King's Goods by Jerry Botton, pan Macmilliam 2006)

The war of the sexes is as alive today as it ever was. Australians are never nervous to call something by its “proper” name. Germaine Greer describes graphically Artemisia’s colourful life in another book I acquired recently.

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Orazio_and_Artemisia/gentileschi_images.htm

Artemisia shows a great deal more form and colour than a local who’s bed we were “privileged” to view a year or two ago!

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Orazio_and_Artemisia/55.L.htm


It must be said that the Lady Sculptors of America of the 19c and 20c are worthy of study. I will list them and may put some images up when I find them, but, I must listen to Vasari below and allow others to write about them.

No one should think it strange that Michelangelo loved solitude, for he was deeply in love with his art, which claims a man with all his thoughts for itself alone. Anyone who wants to devote himself to the study of art must shun the society of others. In fact, a man who gives his time to the problems of art is never alone and never lacks food for thought, and those who attribute an artist's love of solitude to outlandishness and eccentricity are mistaken, seeing that anyone who wants to do good work must rid himself of all cares and burdens: the artist must have time and opportunity for reflection and solitude and concentration.
(Giorgio Vasari, 1568)