Nellie Walker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nellie Walker
Born	(1874-12-08)December 8, 1874 Red Oak, Iowa
Died	July 10, 1973(1973-07-10) (aged 98) Colorado Springs, Colorado
Nationality	American
Known for	Sculpture

Mitchell family marker, Cadillac, Michigan

Nellie Verne Walker (born December 8, 1874 – died July 10, 1973) was an American sculptor. She was famous for her amazing sculptures, including a statue of James Harlan. This statue was once displayed in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C..

Becoming a Sculptor

Nellie Verne Walker was born in Red Oak, Iowa. Her dad, Everett Walker, was a stone carver who made monuments. Her mom was Rebecca Jane Lindsay Walker.

By the time she was 17, Nellie started using her father's tools. She began making her own sculptures in his workshop in Moulton, Iowa. One of her first important works was a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. This piece was shown at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. It was displayed in the Iowa Building and called "The work of an Iowa Girl." She would create more Lincoln sculptures later in her career.

Nellie really wanted to go to art school, but she couldn't afford it. So, she worked as a legal secretary for six years. This helped her save enough money to finally attend the Art Institute of Chicago.

Stratton memorial

Nellie was quite small, only four feet eight inches tall and weighing less than 100 pounds. This made her seem like an unlikely person to become a sculptor, as it's a very physical job. But her teacher, Lorado Taft, gave her a chance. They became lifelong friends and even worked together on many projects. Because of her small size and how hard she worked, people called her "the lady who lived on ladders."

When Lorado Taft passed away in 1936, he left a large sculpture group unfinished. This was the Heald Square Monument, which featured George Washington, Robert Morris, and Haym Salomon. Nellie was one of the sculptors chosen to help finish this important artwork in 1941.

Soon after, Nellie started getting her own sculpture jobs. She moved into a studio at the famous Midway Studio in Chicago. She shared this space with Taft and other sculptors.

In 1902, a rich man named Winfield Scott Stratton died in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Someone realized Nellie was in town and asked her to make a "death mask" of him. This is a mold taken from a person's face after they die. The family was so impressed that they asked her to create a sculpture of him. She made a bust, a large granite marker for his grave, and a huge statue of Stratton. All these works are still in Colorado Springs today.

Chief Keokuk

Lorado Taft wrote a famous book called The History of American Sculpture. In it, he mentioned Nellie Walker as an important young sculptor. He specifically talked about her statue of Chief Keokuk. Like many sculptors of her time, Nellie created sculptures for buildings and for cemeteries.

Nellie was a member of the National Sculpture Society. She was also honored by being added to the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1987. Later in her life, after her Chicago studio was destroyed in 1948, Nellie moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. She sometimes made pottery for the Van Briggle Pottery company. She passed away there in 1973, at the age of 98.

Famous Sculptures and Monuments

Nellie Walker created many important sculptures throughout her career. These include large monuments, sculptures for buildings, and beautiful cemetery artworks.

Public Monuments

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  Lanning Fountain

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  Lanning Fountain (looking up)

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  Lanning Fountain (profile)

• A statue of Winfield Scott Stratton (1907) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• The Statue of James Harlan (1909), which was in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington D.C..
• The Lanning Fountain (1911) at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
• A statue of Chief Keokuk (1913) in Keokuk, Iowa.
• A memorial for soldiers of the War of 1812 (1929) in Springfield, Illinois.
• The Lincoln Trail State Memorial (1937) near Lawrenceville, Illinois.
• The Haym Salomon figure for the Heald Square Monument (1941) in Chicago, Illinois.

Architectural Sculptures

Nellie also created sculptures that were part of buildings.

• Figures called Friendship and Character (1929) on the Michigan League Building in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Large figures of Moses and Socrates for the courthouse in Jackson, Mississippi.
• Panels for the Iowa State University Library in Ames, Iowa.
• Sculptures for the Royal Neighbors Building (1927) in Rock Island, Illinois.

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  Michigan League Building

Cemetery Artworks

Nellie Walker also designed many beautiful and detailed sculptures for grave sites.

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  Decker Memorial

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  Stratton grave site

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  Helen McMullen

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  Diggins Monument

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  Mitchell

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  Mitchell

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  detail

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  detail

• The grave site for Winfield Scott Stratton (1905) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• The Delos Diggins monument (1909) in Cadillac, Michigan.
• The Johannes Decker monument (1910) in Battle Creek, Michigan.
• The Helen McMullen monument (1919) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• The Butterfield Monument (around 1920) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.