Patience Wright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patience Wright
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Portrait of Patience Wright
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| Born |
Patience Lovell
1725 |
| Died | March 23, 1786 London, England
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| Known for | Sculpture |
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Notable work
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lifesize wax sculptures |
Patience Lovell Wright (1725 – March 23, 1786) was an amazing artist. She was a sculptor who made realistic figures out of wax. She was also the very first American-born sculptor to be recognized for her talent.
Contents
A Creative Life
Early Years
Patience Lovell was born in Oyster Bay, New York, in 1725. She grew up in a Quaker family on a farm. When she was four, her family moved to Bordentown, New Jersey.
At 16, Patience moved to Philadelphia. In 1748, she married Joseph Wright, who made barrels. Patience loved to create things. She would often make faces and figures from putty, bread dough, and wax to entertain her children.
Becoming a Sculptor
Patience Wright's husband died in 1769. She was expecting her fourth child and needed a way to support her family. So, she turned her hobby into a job. She teamed up with her sister, Rachel Wells, who was also a widow.
They started a business making portraits from tinted wax. This was a very popular type of art in America back then. People would pay to see their wax figures. By 1770, they were so successful that they opened a waxworks museum in New York City. They also took their art on tour to cities like Philadelphia and Charleston.
Moving to London
In June 1771, a fire destroyed many of Wright's sculptures. After this, she decided to move to London, England. She became friends with Jane Mecom, who was the sister of Benjamin Franklin. This helped her meet important people in London society.
Patience set up a popular waxworks show in the West End. She created scenes from history and figures of famous people. She was even asked to sculpt King George III. She also sculpted other members of the British royal family and nobles. Patience Wright made at least 55 wax figures, but only one full-size figure of Lord Chatham (William Pitt) still exists today.
A Unique Personality
Patience Wright became famous in London for her unusual American ways. She wore wooden shoes and greeted everyone with a kiss, no matter their social class. She didn't follow the usual rules for how women of her standing should act.
There was even a rumor that she called the King and Queen by their first names! People nicknamed her "The Promethean Modeler" because she was so bold. She became quite a celebrity in London.
Her sculpting method also added to her unique image. She used her own body heat to keep the wax soft enough to shape. She would mold the wax under her apron, which some people found shocking. Wax sculpture was also seen as a "low art" compared to sculptures made of bronze or stone.
Patience Wright was smart about using her unique personality. She knew that newspaper stories about her unusual behavior would bring more people to see her artwork.
A Secret Agent?
It is believed that Patience Wright worked as a spy during the American Revolution. She might have sent secret messages back to the American colonies hidden inside her wax figures. We don't know for sure if this is true.
However, she did write letters to Benjamin Franklin during the war. She told him about his son, William, and asked for help for American prisoners of war. She also wrote to John Dickinson about the British Army's plans.
Patience Wright openly supported the American cause. She even scolded the King and Queen after the battles of Lexington and Concord. She started a fund to help American prisoners held in Britain. A group of American supporters would meet at her London workshop to talk about their cause.
In 1780, Wright moved to Paris. There, she created a wax portrait of Benjamin Franklin.
Later Life and Legacy
Patience Wright returned to England in 1782. She lived with her daughter Phoebe and her son-in-law, the painter John Hoppner. By 1785, she planned to move back to New Jersey.
However, while getting ready for her trip, she fell and broke her leg. Patience Wright died a week later, on March 23, 1786. She was buried in London.
Patience Wright had hoped to sculpt a portrait of George Washington, but she died before she could. She also sent a request to Thomas Jefferson, but he never replied.
Surviving Artworks
Because wax is a fragile material, not many of Patience Wright's works have survived.
- A full-size figure of William Pitt is still in the Westminster Abbey Museum. She made this after he died.
- A profile of Admiral Richard Howe is at the Newark Museum. Experts believe she made it.
Patience Wright also made sculptures of other important figures like Prime Minister William Pitt, Lord Lyttelton, Thomas Penn, and Charles James Fox. Famous people like Benjamin Franklin, Deborah Sampson, and the King and Queen of England were her customers.
Family Legacy
Patience Wright's son, Joseph Wright (1756–1793), became a well-known portrait painter. He even designed the Liberty Cap Large Cent coin.
Her daughter Phoebe married the British painter John Hoppner. Their son, Henry Parkyns Hoppner, became a Royal Navy officer and an Arctic explorer.
Patience Wright's old home at 100 Farnsworth Avenue in Bordentown, New Jersey, is still standing today.
