Pioneer Woman

Object Details

Luce Center Label

In 1926, Bryant Baker won a competition to sculpt a seventeen-foot-high bronze monument in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He crafted this smaller version of Pioneer Woman before unveiling the monument on April 22, 1930, to a crowd that included President Herbert Hoover, humorist Will Rogers, and oil magnate E. W. Marland, who had funded the project. The monument's plaque stated that Baker created it "in appreciation of the heroic character of the women who braved the dangers and endured the hardships incident to the daily life of the pioneer and homesteader in this country." According to the sculptor, the boy personifies the future of the American West and the woman's bundle symbolizes the burden of life. The book under her right arm is the Bible, which Baker believed was "a vital factor in building up this country" ("Bryant Baker, Sculptor, Dies; Executed Busts of 5 Presidents," New York Times, March 31, 1970).

Luce Object Quote

"It is undoubtedly one of the most insouciant, sincere and human plastic presentations of the century." Kineton Parkes, quoted in "An Anglo-American Sculptor," Apollo: A Journal of the Arts, October 1932

Date

modeled 1927, cast 1968

Artist

Bryant Baker, born London, England 1881-died New York City 1970

Founder

Roman Bronze Works, Inc.

Topic

Recreation\leisure\strolling

Figure group\female and child

History\United States\westward expansion

Dress\historic\pioneer dress

See more items in

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department

Painting and Sculpture

On View

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 3rd Floor, North Wing

Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist

Data Source

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Object number

1968.126

Type

Sculpture

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

32 x 15 x 16 1/8 in. (81.3 x 38.1 x 41.1 cm)

Record ID

saam_1968.126

Metadata Usage

Not determined

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk79cf5313d-b2a2-44d4-a755-149790ae7c54