Nellie Verne Walker was born in Red Oak, Iowa, the daughter of Everett Walker, a stone carver and monument maker, and Rebecca Jane Lindsay Walker.[1][2][3] By the age of 17 she was allowed to use her father's tools and began making her own sculpture in her father's monument shop in Moulton, Iowa. Her first noteworthy work was a bust of Abraham Lincoln that was displayed at the Columbian Exposition in 1893,[1] as an exhibit in the Iowa Building there, labeled "The work of an Iowa Girl". She was to return to the theme of Lincoln again in her career. Unable to afford to go to art school, Walker worked as a legal secretary for six years before she could obtain enough money to attend the Art Institute of Chicago.
Stratton memorial
At four foot eight (4'8") and less than a hundred pounds she seemed an unlikely candidate to be able to meet and to succeed at the very physical demands placed on a sculptor, but the teacher, Lorado Taft decided to give her a chance and they were to remain friends and co-workers for the rest of their lives.[4] Ultimately, because of her diminutive size and her work, she became known as "the lady who lived on ladders."[1] When Taft died in 1936, leaving much of the Heald Square Monument – a sculpture group of George Washington, Robert Morris and Haym Salomon – undone, she was one of several sculptors who were commissioned to finish the piece (1941). Not long thereafter she began getting her own commissions and so moved into studio space in the famous (in sculpture circles) Midway Studio where she shared space with Taft and other Chicago sculptors. In 1902, reclusive Colorado Springs millionaire W. S. Stratton died and someone there realized that Walker was in town and asked her to make a death mask, which she did. The family was so impressed with Walker that they commissioned her to do a bust, followed by a large carved granite cemetery marker and finally an over-life-sized statue of Stratton.
All are still located in the Colorado Springs area.[5]
Lorado Taft, in his groundbreaking The History of American Sculpture mentions Walker as a significant young sculptor and specifically refers to her Chief Keokuk statue. Like many other sculptors of her era Walker created both architectural and cemetery sculpture. She was a member of the National Sculpture Society[1] and was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1987. Late in life, following the 1948 destruction of her Chicago studio, Walker moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she occasionally modeled pottery for the Van Briggle Pottery company, and she died there in 1973, aged 98.
Contemporary American Sculpture, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, San Francisco, The National Sculpture Society 1929
Hunt, Inez, the Lady who Lived on Ladders, Filter Press, Palmer Lake, Colorado, 1970
Kvaran, Einar Einarsson Cemetery Sculpture in America, unpublished manuscript
McConnell, Susan, Public Treasures: Outdoor Sculpture in the Pikes Peak Region, City of Colorado Springs, Parks and Recreation Department, 1995
Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, Mantle Fielding’s Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986
Rubenstein, Charlotte Streifer, American Women Sculptors, G.K. Hall & Co., Boston 1990
Taft, Lorado, The History of American Sculpture, MacMillan Co., New York, NY 1925
Referencesedit
^ abcd"Nellie Verne Walker". Iowa Department of Human Rights. from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
^CHANDLER, JOSEPHINE CRAVEN (1924). "Nellie Verne Walker: An Appreciation". The American Magazine of Art. 15 (7): 366–370. ISSN 2151-254X. JSTOR 23929023.
^Longden, Tom (24 February 2002). "Famous Iowan: Nellie Verne Walker". The Des Moines Register. p. 21. Retrieved 27 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Nellie V. Walker Collection". Smithsonian Archives of American Art. from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
^Hunt, Inez, ‘’The Lady Who Lived on Ladders: the Story of the Famous Sculptor Who Was Chosen to Make the Death Mask for Winfield Scott Stratton’’, Filter Press, Palmer Lake, Colorado, 1970 pp. 19–24
^Sippel, John (18 January 1999). "New Look for--and at--a Campus Icon". NewsSmith. No. Winter 1999. Smith College Office of College Relations. from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
nellie, walker, american, novelist, with, same, birthname, nella, larsen, nellie, verne, walker, december, 1874, july, 1973, american, sculptor, best, known, statue, james, harlan, formerly, national, statuary, hall, collection, united, states, capitol, washin. For the American novelist with same birthname see Nella Larsen Nellie Verne Walker December 8 1874 July 10 1973 was an American sculptor best known for her statue of James Harlan formerly in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol Washington D C Nellie WalkerBorn 1874 12 08 December 8 1874Red Oak IowaDiedJuly 10 1973 1973 07 10 aged 98 Colorado Springs ColoradoNationalityAmericanKnown forSculptureMitchell family marker Cadillac Michigan Contents 1 Early years 2 Monuments 3 Architectural sculpture 4 Cemetery works 5 Sources 6 References 7 External linksEarly years editNellie Verne Walker was born in Red Oak Iowa the daughter of Everett Walker a stone carver and monument maker and Rebecca Jane Lindsay Walker 1 2 3 By the age of 17 she was allowed to use her father s tools and began making her own sculpture in her father s monument shop in Moulton Iowa Her first noteworthy work was a bust of Abraham Lincoln that was displayed at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 1 as an exhibit in the Iowa Building there labeled The work of an Iowa Girl She was to return to the theme of Lincoln again in her career Unable to afford to go to art school Walker worked as a legal secretary for six years before she could obtain enough money to attend the Art Institute of Chicago nbsp Stratton memorialAt four foot eight 4 8 and less than a hundred pounds she seemed an unlikely candidate to be able to meet and to succeed at the very physical demands placed on a sculptor but the teacher Lorado Taft decided to give her a chance and they were to remain friends and co workers for the rest of their lives 4 Ultimately because of her diminutive size and her work she became known as the lady who lived on ladders 1 When Taft died in 1936 leaving much of the Heald Square Monument a sculpture group of George Washington Robert Morris and Haym Salomon undone she was one of several sculptors who were commissioned to finish the piece 1941 Not long thereafter she began getting her own commissions and so moved into studio space in the famous in sculpture circles Midway Studio where she shared space with Taft and other Chicago sculptors In 1902 reclusive Colorado Springs millionaire W S Stratton died and someone there realized that Walker was in town and asked her to make a death mask which she did The family was so impressed with Walker that they commissioned her to do a bust followed by a large carved granite cemetery marker and finally an over life sized statue of Stratton nbsp Chief KeokukAll are still located in the Colorado Springs area 5 Lorado Taft in his groundbreaking The History of American Sculpture mentions Walker as a significant young sculptor and specifically refers to her Chief Keokuk statue Like many other sculptors of her era Walker created both architectural and cemetery sculpture She was a member of the National Sculpture Society 1 and was inducted into the Iowa Women s Hall of Fame in 1987 Late in life following the 1948 destruction of her Chicago studio Walker moved to Colorado Springs Colorado where she occasionally modeled pottery for the Van Briggle Pottery company and she died there in 1973 aged 98 Monuments edit nbsp Lanning Fountain nbsp Lanning Fountain looking up nbsp Lanning Fountain profile Winfield Scott Stratton 1907 Colorado Springs Colorado Statue of James Harlan 1909 formerly in the National Statuary Hall Collection Washington D C Lanning Fountain 1911 Smith College Northampton Massachusetts 6 Chief Keokuk 1913 Keokuk Iowa Senator Isaac Stephenson 1921 Marinette Wisconsin Memorial to Soldiers of the War of 1812 1929 Springfield Illinois Suffrage Memorial Panel 1934 Iowa State Capitol Des Moines Iowa Lincoln Trail State Memorial 1937 near Lawrenceville Illinois Haym Salomon figure for the Heald Square Monument 1941 Chicago IllinoisArchitectural sculpture editfigures of Friendship and Character 1929 Michigan League Building Ann Arbor Michigan Monumental figures of Moses and Socrates for the courthouse in Jackson Mississippi Panels Iowa State University Library Ames Iowa Royal Neighbors Building 1927 Rock Island Illinois nbsp Michigan League BuildingCemetery works edit nbsp Decker Memorial nbsp Stratton grave site nbsp Helen McMullen nbsp Diggins Monument nbsp Mitchell nbsp Mitchell nbsp detail nbsp detailWinfield Scott Stratton 1905 Colorado Springs Colorado Lillian Watson 1909 Chicago Illinois Delos Diggins 1909 Cadillac Michigan Johannes Decker 1910 Battle Creek Michigan Fred and Carrie Diggins 1916 Cadillac Michigan W W Mitchell 1916 Cadillac Michigan Helen McMullen 1919 Minneapolis Minnesota Charles W Shippey 1922 Chicago Illinois Myron L Learned 1928 Omaha Nebraska Milton T Barlow 1930 Omaha Nebraska Carl Gray 1940 Baltimore Maryland Butterfield Monument ca 1920 Grand Rapids MichiganSources editContemporary American Sculpture The California Palace of the Legion of Honor Lincoln Park San Francisco The National Sculpture Society 1929 Hunt Inez the Lady who Lived on Ladders Filter Press Palmer Lake Colorado 1970 Kvaran Einar Einarsson Cemetery Sculpture in America unpublished manuscript McConnell Susan Public Treasures Outdoor Sculpture in the Pikes Peak Region City of Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department 1995 Opitz Glenn B Editor Mantle Fielding s Dictionary of American Painters Sculptors amp Engravers Apollo Book Poughkeepsie NY 1986 Rubenstein Charlotte Streifer American Women Sculptors G K Hall amp Co Boston 1990 Taft Lorado The History of American Sculpture MacMillan Co New York NY 1925References edit a b c d Nellie Verne Walker Iowa Department of Human Rights Archived from the original on 6 August 2022 Retrieved 27 April 2019 CHANDLER JOSEPHINE CRAVEN 1924 Nellie Verne Walker An Appreciation The American Magazine of Art 15 7 366 370 ISSN 2151 254X JSTOR 23929023 Longden Tom 24 February 2002 Famous Iowan Nellie Verne Walker The Des Moines Register p 21 Retrieved 27 April 2019 via Newspapers com Nellie V Walker Collection Smithsonian Archives of American Art Archived from the original on 27 April 2019 Retrieved 27 April 2019 Hunt Inez The Lady Who Lived on Ladders the Story of the Famous Sculptor Who Was Chosen to Make the Death Mask for Winfield Scott Stratton Filter Press Palmer Lake Colorado 1970 pp 19 24 Sippel John 18 January 1999 New Look for and at a Campus Icon NewsSmith No Winter 1999 Smith College Office of College Relations Archived from the original on 3 May 2021 Retrieved 23 June 2020 External links edit nbsp Biography portalWIU UIUC Library Iowa State University Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nellie Walker amp oldid 1183658937, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
