Ream, Vinnie

Ream, Vinnie

▪ American sculptor
born September 25, 1847, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
died November 20, 1914, Washington, D.C.
 American sculptor, who is best remembered for her sculpture of Abraham Lincoln in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

      Ream had a peripatetic childhood, but in 1861 her family settled in Washington, D.C. She took up sculpture in 1863 under the tutelage of Clark Mills, who was then finishing the bronze Liberty sculpture for the Capitol dome. Ream received recognition for her busts of several congressmen and other prominent persons, which led in 1864 to an offer from Congress for her to sculpt a bust of President Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Abraham) from life. The success of this work prompted Congress in 1866 to commission from Ream a full-size marble statue of Lincoln for the Capitol rotunda. Then a virtually untrained 18-year-old, Ream was the first woman to win such a commission from the federal government. She completed a plaster model for the statue in her studio and then, accompanied by her parents, took it to Rome in 1869 to translate it into marble.

      During a brief stay in Paris she studied with Léon Bonnat (Bonnat, Léon) and created busts of Gustave Doré and Père Hyacinthe. In Rome she studied with Luigi Majoli. She was popular among expatriate artists there, becoming especially close to Georg Brandes (Brandes, Georg). She also made busts of Franz Liszt and Cardinal Antonelli.

      In January 1871 Ream's statue of Lincoln, done in white Carrara marble, was unveiled at the Capitol. Although later criticized for its lack of vigour and its manifest amateurishness, it possessed a naive expressiveness and was warmly received at the time. In January 1875, in competition with such prominent artists as William Wetmore Story (Story, William Wetmore) and John Quincy Adams Ward, Ream won a $20,000 commission from the government to create a bronze statue of Admiral David G. Farragut (Farragut, David). Her sculpture, cast from the propeller of the naval hero's flagship, was unveiled in April 1881 in Farragut Square, Washington, D.C. In May 1878, while at work on the statue, Ream married Lieutenant (later Brigadier General) Richard L. Hoxie, with whom she established a home in Farragut Square that was a popular site for parties.

      From about 1863 to 1867 Ream executed portraits of figures such as General Ulysses S. Grant, General George A. Custer, Senator John Sherman, and congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Her idealized figures include America (1870) and Sappho (1865–70). Ream abandoned sculpture for many years in deference to her husband's wishes, but in her later years she executed a statue of Iowa governor Samuel Kirkwood (1906), as well as the model for a statue of Sequoyah (1912–14), both for Statuary Hall in the Capitol.

Additional Reading
Glenn V. Sherwood, A Labor of Love: The Life & Art of Vinnie Ream (1997).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vinnie Ream — Lavinia Ellen Ream (Vinnie Ream) (1847 1914) was an American sculptor. Her most famous work was the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.Early lifeReam was born 25 September 1847 in a log cabin in Madison, Wisconsin. She was the… …   Wikipedia

  • Vinnie Ream — mit der Büste von Abraham Lincoln, um 1869 Lavinia Ellen Ream (* 23. September 1846 in Madison, Wisconsin; † 20. November 1914 in Washington D. C.) war eine bekannte US amerikanische Bildhauerin …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ream — may refer to:* Paper ream, a unit of 500 sheets of paper * Reamer, a tool used to widen a hole * Vinnie Ream, an American sculptor …   Wikipedia

  • Ream — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Tim Ream (* 1987), US amerikanischer Fußballspieler Vinnie Ream (1846–1914), US amerikanische Bildhauerin Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hoxie,Vinnie Ream — Hox·ie (hŏkʹsē), Vinnie Ream. 1847 1914. American sculptor known especially for her marble statue of Abraham Lincoln (unveiled 1871) in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. * * * …   Universalium

  • David Farragut — David Glasgow Farragut 1866 Statue von Vinnie Ream am Farragut Square in Washington, D.C …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • David G. Farragut — David Glasgow Farragut 1866 Statue von Vinnie Ream am Farragut Square in Washington, D.C …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Biografien/Rea — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Downingville — Vinita Lage in Oklahoma Basisdaten Staat: Vereinigte Staaten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • United States Capitol Rotunda — Ansicht der Rotunde von der Rückseite der George Washington Statue Die Rotunde ist der zentrale, runde Bauteil in der Mitte des United States Capitol, der sich unterhalb der Kuppel befindet. Es ist der größte Bauteil des Gebäudes. Die Rotunde ist …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”