Winnifred Kingsford facts for kids

Winnifred Kingsford (1880–1947) was a talented Canadian sculptor and teacher. She was one of the first women sculptors from Toronto, Canada.

Early Life and Art Training

Winnifred Kingsford was born in Toronto. She was the oldest daughter of Rupert and Alice Kingsford. Her father was a magistrate.

Winnifred started her art studies in Toronto. She went to the Toronto Art School (now OCAD University) from 1886 to 1890. There, she learned from artists like William Cruikshank and George Agnew Reid. Later, she studied at Central Technical School.

Studying Sculpture in Paris

Kingsford then traveled to Paris, France. She spent several years there, studying sculpture with a famous artist named Antoine Bourdelle.

When she returned to Toronto, she started teaching art. She taught at Havergal College, which is a private school for girls.

For a while, Winnifred Kingsford was thought to be the only woman sculptor working in Canada. This was true until Florence Wyle and Frances Loring came to Toronto in 1912.

Exhibiting Her Art

Winnifred Kingsford did not have many records of her art shows. However, she did show one sculpture at the 1912 Paris Salon. This was a big art show in Paris. Her sculpture was a portrait of a seated woman.

In 1915, she showed two more sculptures. These were called "The Messenger" and "Woman Seated." Both were made of plaster. They were part of an exhibit called "Works of Toronto Sculptors." This show was held at the Art Museum of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario).

Helping During Wartime

During World War I, Kingsford trained to be an occupational therapist. This job helps people recover from injuries or illnesses. Later in her career, she worked in different military hospitals.

Creating Commercial Art

Winnifred Kingsford also made art to sell. She created pottery items like lamp bases, ink wells, and vases. These were made of glazed pottery. She sold them in stores.

Another artist, Estelle M. Kerr, admired Kingsford's commercial work. Kerr herself also made different kinds of art, including cartoons. Kerr even interviewed Winnifred Kingsford in her Adelaide Street studio for an article. The article was about women sculptors in Toronto and was published in Saturday Night magazine. Kerr wrote that Kingsford was "clever at the more commercial forms of the sculptor's art."

Kingsford had been selling her pottery in Canada around the year 1900. In 1904, she showed her work at the first exhibition of the Society of Arts and Crafts of Canada. This show was held at the Art Gallery on King Street in Toronto. The money she earned from her pottery classes and sales helped her study art abroad for five years. She returned to Toronto in 1913. By 1914, Kingsford was making both traditional sculptures and her popular commercial pottery.

Notable Works

One of Kingsford's important sculptures is "Seated Woman." She made it in 1912. A cast of it was made around 1970. This sculpture is now part of the collection at the National Gallery of Canada.

Later Life and Passing

Winnifred Kingsford passed away in Toronto on February 3, 1947. She died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (now part of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute). She is buried in St. James' Cemetery in Toronto.