Dorothy Stanton Wise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Stanton Wise
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| Born |
Dorothea Mary Stanton Wise
October 20, 1879 |
| Died | December 25, 1918 (aged 39) |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | sculpture |
Dorothy Stanton Wise (born October 20, 1879 – died December 25, 1918) was a talented British sculptor. She studied at the Royal College of Art. Dorothy created beautiful sculptures and medallions. Some of her art was even bought by members of the British royal family! Dorothy was deaf from a young age. She worked hard to get an education and build a successful career. This was quite rare for women at that time.
Dorothy's Early Life and Learning
Dorothea Mary Stanton Wise was born on October 20, 1879. This was in Dover, England. She was one of four children. Her parents ran a school for boys. They found out Dorothy was deaf when she was two years old.
Dorothy's mother taught her most things at home. She also went to a kindergarten for hearing children. There, she learned drawing and good manners. It was clear very early that she had a special talent for art.
When Dorothy was seventeen, her family moved to Hendon. Every spring, Dorothy went to the College of the Deaf. This helped her improve her lip-reading skills. When she decided to become a sculptor, her family helped her learn what she needed. Her father taught her about artistic perspective. Her mother helped her study how the human body is shaped. Her younger brother worked with her on geometric drawing.
Dorothy earned a free scholarship to the Royal College of Art. She studied there for three years. She spent five years in the college's sculpture studio. Her teacher was the famous artist Édouard Lantéri. Her first big art show at the college was a large sculpture. It was called The Wings of the Morning. It showed the Greek goddess Demeter. When someone bought it, they were surprised the artist was a woman! In 1906, she earned her sculpture degree. She was the only woman that year to get this degree.
Her Amazing Art Career
After leaving college, Dorothy worked on many different art projects. She made portraits and architectural drawings. One of her popular small statues was an electric light holder. It was called Spring. Dorothy was very good at sculpting busts of children. She also sculpted famous historical figures, like Joan of Arc.
During World War I, England could not get doll heads from Germany. So, Dorothy designed patterns for doll heads for factories. She also created medallions of important people. These included Catherine Isabella Dodd and Bishop John Prideaux.
Dorothy designed a memorial for Mrs. Henry Wood. The Mayor of Worcester chose her design. It was meant to be placed in Worcester Cathedral. But the war made it hard to get Greek marble. This caused delays. While she waited for large marble blocks, she made smaller sculptures. These were sold to important people. These included Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria.
Dorothy showed her art in at least ten exhibitions. Seven times, she showed her work at the Manchester Art Gallery autumn exhibition. She was asked to create art for the 1911 Pageant of Empire. This event was held at The Crystal Palace. Dorothy won gold medals at Manchester Art Gallery, the Royal Academy, and Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Between 1913 and 1916, she wrote articles for the British Deaf Times. She shared her achievements with the deaf community. A deaf writer named Yvonne Pitrois also interviewed her. Dorothy said she sometimes lost out on jobs. This happened when buyers "had no time to waste for speaking to a deaf person." She kept taking classes in drawing and modeling. This helped her keep her skills sharp.
Dorothy died on December 25, 1918. She passed away at her home in London. She likely died from the 1918 flu epidemic.
