Bessie Stough Callender, born Wichita, KS 1889-died New York City 1951 Search this
Medium:
limestone
Dimensions:
17 x 8 7/8 x 11 1/4 in. (43.2 x 22.5 x 28.5 cm.)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
ca. 1929
Luce Center Label:
Bessie Stough Callender found herself with time on her hands while living in Paris, where her husband, Harold, was chief correspondent for the New York Times. She decided to start sculpting animals and in 1929 completed her first stone sculpture, Guinea Hen, which she carved "chiefly for practice in rounded forms." This particular guinea hen posed patiently for many weeks until she was eaten by the French bulldog that guarded the studio at night. (Harold Callender, Fun Tomorrow: The Story of an Artist and a Way of Life, 1953)
Luce Object Quote:
"Her love of animals and her knowledge of sculpture enabled her to carve the beautiful pieces of marble and granite." Georges Hilbert, quoted in Harold Callender, Fun Tomorrow: The Story of an Artist and a Way of Life, 1953
