With Nancy J. Farrier
A friend shared a factual tidbit on Facebook a couple of
weeks ago about Vinnie Ream being only 18 when the U.S. Congress hired her to
do a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. A woman. Only 18. I shared that tidbit on my
Facebook page and then wondered about the rest of this woman’s story. Fascinated
by what I found, I decided to share her information with you.
Lavinnia Ellen Ream, born in 1847, showed an artistic interest
at an early age. She studied art in school, but when her family moved to
Washington D.C. in 1861 she began to tutor under Clark Mills. Mills was finishing
a bronze Liberty sculpture.
While studying with Mills, Vinnie met many congressmen and
was commissioned by some to do a bust of them. Her work was so popular that in
1864 Congress asked her to do a bust of Abraham Lincoln.
In 1866, Congress commissioned her to do a commemorative
statue of Abraham Lincoln. At that time Vinnie was only eighteen and was the
first woman commissioned by the federal government for such a project.
Lincoln Statue By Einar Einarsson Kvaran |
She returned with her creation in late 1870 and the statue
was unveiled in January 1871. Ream designed Lincoln so that he is looking down
at his right hand, which holds a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. His
left hand is holding back his cloak. The piece is serious and contemplative,
possible the way she thought of the former President.
During the next few years, Ream did many portraits of well-known
American
figures. Among them were General Ulysses S. Grant and General George
A. Custer. She also did some sculptures, many of them noteworthy.
Kirkwood: Architect of the Capital |
In 1878, Vinnie married Richard L. Hoxie, who she met when
she was doing a sculpture of Admiral David G. Farragut. She made this sculpture
from the propeller of the naval hero’s flagship. The statue was unveiled in
1881.
After the Farragut statue was complete, Vinnie stopped working
for a time in accordance of her husband’s wishes. They had one son and she
spent time raising him and caring for her family.
Sequoyah |
Vinnie Ream was a woman of many firsts, and of great renown.
Her story is inspiring and little known. In addition to her art, she used to
work with the soldiers at the hospitals during the Civil War, writing letters
for them and entertaining them with music. She was an accomplished musician.
Vinnie died in 1914 and is buried in Arlington Cemetary. Her grave is marked by
the sculpture she did, Sappho.
Sappho By cliff1066 |
Have you heard of Vinnie Ream before? Can you imagine having accomplished so much at such a young age? Have you ever visited Washington D.C. and seen any of her art work?
Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in
Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest with its
interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children and two
grandsons. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play
with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Tamela
Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about
Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.
Awesome and informative post. I had never heard of Vinnie Ream. What a gifted young lady and her accomplishments. Glad you shared about Ream.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marilyn. I loved researching her. An amazing woman.
DeleteI can see why you were enthralled with her story. That is certainly not typical of young women of that time. Her work is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Connie. I was not up to this standard at eighteen. Pretty incredible.
DeleteAmazing bit of history! I've never heard of Vinnie Ream. It would be interesting to know about her parents and how they must have encouraged her at a time when women were only expected to make a good marriage and bear children.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing attention to such a gifted young woman.
True, Barbara. I think her parents were amazing in that they saw her potential and encouraged her to do what she loved.
DeleteVinnie Ream was my husband's great aunt. My husbands middle name was after his great Aunt, Ream. Richard Ream Storm. There was a book written about Vinnie Ream by Holt,Rinehart,Winston. Copies of book were only sent to family members. Very interesting book. I always thought there should be a movie about Vinnie Ream.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that. Her story was fascinating.
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