In one of her more ambitious pieces, "Allegresse,” modeled 1920, Vonnoh combined the old and the new with a group of slim young women resembling the ancient Three Graces, yet with all sporting contemporary bobbed hairstyles. Standing about 26 inches high, this lighthearted group relates to the sculptor's garden statuary. Corcoran Gallery of Art.
:One of the most successful women artists of her generation, Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872–1955) specialized in sculpted images of women and children that are both accomplished and moving. At a time when the field of American sculpture was dominated by male sculptors seeking commissions for large, public monuments, she excelled by designing intimate works for domestic interiors and gardens.
By making first-rate, aesthetic pieces accessible to wide audiences, she succeeded in elevating the quality and appeal of small bronze, marble and terracotta sculptures. Celebrating Impressionist figures and scenes of domestic life, she focused on themes glorifying such cherished American ideals as happy mothers, innocent children and young women dancing, reading and enjoying nature.
Coming to the fore at a time when industrialization, urbanization and the women's rights movement encouraged females to enter into all aspects of modern life, she contributed to the dramatic transformation of American society. As a working woman, Vonnoh faced her share of prejudice. In time, she came to embody the "New Woman" in the era when women moved beyond their traditional domestic roles into previously male-dominated public spheres. Ironically, at the same time, her characteristic imagery — blissful domestic life — supported conventional ideas of women as icons of beauty and moral guardians of the home.
Vonnoh brought a compelling eye for aesthetic expressiveness to her depiction of reassuring themes. Her astute modeling, deft compositions and graceful linear designs earned the respect of her colleagues, art critics and fans among museums and collectors.
By the time Richard Field Maynard took this photograph of Vonnoh around 1930, the sculptor had become a role model for women seeking success as professional artists. At 58, she continued working and enjoyed traveling, socializing and dancing. Cincinnati Art Museum.
A much-admired and avidly collected sculptor in her day, Vonnoh's name and work have faded from public view. Her resurrection has culminated in a welcome retrospective of her oeuvre, "Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women," organized by Julie Aronson, curator at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Already seen at the Florence Griswold Museum, it is on view at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts from February 7 through May 10, and at the Cincinnati Art Museum June 6 to September 6. Showcasing 35 of her best pieces, it will examine her distinctive achievements and explore her place as a role model for female artists.
Born in St Louis and raised in Chicago, Bessie Potter as a youngster was immobilized for years by a series of puzzling illnesses. She recovered, but remained physically small, reaching a height of only 4 feet, 8 inches. After her recovery, in school she took up the physical activity of modeling in clay.
At the age of 14, Potter began studies at the Art Institute of Chicago under noted French-trained sculptor Lorado Taft (1860–1936), becoming one of his "white rabbits." But she was not cut out to be a timid bunny, and after assisting Taft in making sculpture for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, she opened her own Chicago studio. There she created a stir with a series of lively portrait statuettes in tinted plaster of women, which she called "Potterines." They were modeled after everyday life subjects of Impressionist painters.
