Archive for April, 2023

Apr

Will Rogers Bedroom ~ Ponca City ~ Post # 4 ~

Posted by: Dan Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

Mansion of E. W. Marland in Ponca City, Oklahoma is now a museum.

E.W. Marland the colorful oil baron of the 1910s and 1920s, was also a U.S. Congressman, as well as the 10th Governor of Oklahoma.

His dream was to live in a palace, and so he built this majestic home.The Marland Mansion & Estate, completed in 1928 after nearly three years.

The Marlands’ Mysterious Legacy

CLICK HERE THE FULL STORY:

WILL ROGERS BEDROOM

On our recent tour of the Marland Mansion in Ponca City, Oklahoma, we entered the

“Will Rogers Bedroom.”

THE foursome of

E. W. Marland,
Will Rogers,
Jo Davidson and
Hermon MacNeil

seem an unlikely quartet.

However, their paths crossed multiple times, especially in the “Pioneer Woman” project.

Marland recruited Davidson to come to Ponca City where he had built a studio for a sculptor.
Davidson completed statues of Marland family members and traveled with Marland across the U.S. in his private railroad car.
Marland invited Will Rogers to speak at the unveiling of the “Pioneer Woman”, to great public acclaim.
Will Rogers stayed at the Mansion many times.
Hermon MacNeil and his student, Jo Davidson, both submitted models for the “Pioneer Woman”.
Will Rogers called Davidson “That old head hunter” because he asked to do Will’s portrait so many times.
Davidson returned to MacNeil’s studio in 1945 to complete a portrait bust of his teacher, H. A. MacNeil. He then made a unique bronze casting of the piece. It graces the banner of this site.—>>
In 1947 the American Academy of Arts and Letters hosted a retrospective featuring nearly 200 of Jo Davidson’s works..

The Marland Mansion in Ponca City has a picture of Will Rogers on the Bedroom wall.

Betty Rogers, widow of Will, signed the photo as follows:

To Governor Marland,

With Sincere regard,

Betty Rogers

_________

~~~~~~~~

Will Rogers was the closing speaker at the 1930 unveiling and Dedication of the “Pioneer Woman” statue.

Categories : Location, Oklahoma, Statue

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Apr

E. W. Marland’s “Pioneer Woman” ~ Ponca City, OK ~ Post #3

Posted by: Dan Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

JO DAVIDSON’S statue of E.W Marland

E.W. Marland portrait

The man who conceived and initiated the “Pioneer Woman” monument was a fascinating

boom-bust-boom-bust oil millionaire.

Ernest Whitworth Marland, known as

E. W. Marland

(May 8, 1874 – October 3, 1941), was an American lawyer, oil businessman in Pennsylvania (1900s) and Oklahoma (1920s), and politician who was a U.S. representative (1933-35) and Oklahoma governor (1935-39). Click here for MORE details:

The marble statue of him by Jo Davidson

bears the following inscription:

E. W. Marland

PIONEER OIL DEVELOPER

PHILANTHROPIST & HUMANITARIAN

LEADER IN DEVELOPING THE ECONOMY

CULTURE AND BEAUTY OF PONCA CITY

DONOR OF PIONEER WOMAN STATUE

GOVERNOR OF OKLAHOMA

UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN

Photo by Dan Leininger: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com

The Mansion of the Marland’s is now a museum with a separate artist studio that E. W. built for a resident sculptor. Jo Davidson spent time there where he completed alabaster statues of Marland’s adopted son and daughter of the : George Roberts Marland and Lyde Roberts Marland.

The Marlands’ Mysterious Legacy

CLICK HERE THE FULL STORY

& Lyde’s SAD demise:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The MARLAND MANSION STUDIO Now honors BRYANT BAKER, the Sculptor of the “PIONEER WOMAN”

Photos from our day in Ponca City

show the marvelous interior . . .

ALL Photos below by Dan Leininger: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com

~~~~

~~~~~~~

Bryant Baker never worked in the Sculptor’s Studio at the Marland Mansion, BUT . . .

now his many sculptures, models and miniatures fill the rooms and displays there.

Bryant Baker, (July 8, 1881 – March 29, 1970) won the “Pioneer Woman Competition.” He was British born and educated. His British-American life is a fascination story:

In 1910, Queen Alexandra commissioned him to sculpt a bust of Edward VII.^[6] She was so impressed with his work, that she then commissioned him to design a life-size statue of Edward VII, and later a bust in marble of the nine-year-old Prince Olaf of Norway.^[4]

In 1916, Baker emigrated to the United States, where he enlisted in the United States Army. He served during World War I in Army hospitals, crafting artificial limbs and face masks for wounded soldiers.^[4] He became a U.S. citizen in 1923.^[2] SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Woman

Shortly after his death, the contents of his New York studio were purchased and moved to the E. W. Marland Mansion in Ponca City. The mansion is now known as the Ponca City Cultural Center, and Baker’s studio and copies of many of his works are on display there.

During his career, he created over 100 statues and busts, though his heroic bronze monument of the Pioneer Woman is his best known and loved.

The of Baker’s works displayed in the Marland Studio:

~~~~~~

David, Director of Marland Estate, stands in front of a large bas relief of Baker’s images of World War I. All Photos by Dan Leininger, Webmaster: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com

David graciously gave us a private tour of the Marland Mansion & Studio and BAKER’S many sculptures displayed there.

Bryant Baker at work in his studio.

Miniatures of Bryant Baker’s “Pioneer Woman” in several patina finishes form this studio display.

Bryant Baker’s “King Edward VII” 1912. Queen Alexandra commissioned him to sculpt a bust and later a full statue of the King. This is a half-scale statuette of his original.

Bryant Baker’s large bas relief of World War I images from his service in hospitals. All Photos: Dan Leininger: Webmaster https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com

“Hermon and Jo” ~ #3 ~ ~ “At the Peaks of Careers” ~ ~ MacNeil Month 2021 (5) Hermon MacNeil and Jo Davidson 1912 – …
Jo Davidson – A young artist describes the MacNeil Studio in College Point. (2) The MacNeil Studio no longer stands. In it’s nearly fifty…
Jo Davidson (cont.) in the MacNeil Atlier (2) Jo Davidson continues the narrative of his adventures working in…
“Hermon and Jo” ~~ Story #1 ~~ For MacNeil Month ~ February 2021 ~~ (2) Jo Davidson started as a “studio boy” for…
“Jo and Hermon” ~~ The Wanderer and The Monument Maker ~~ Story # 2: MacNeil Month 2021 ~~ (2) ~ JO Davidson ~ Adventurer ~ ~ Hermon MacNeil ~ …
February 27, 2021 – We”ll Unveil the Newly Discovered Portrait Bust of Hermon A. MacNeil by Jo Davidson on Hermon’s Birthday (2) ~~ MacNeil Month – February 27, 2021 ~~ FIFTH Story..

Categories : Location

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Apr

A reunion for Hermon and Jo Davidson and John Gregory. Post #2

Posted by: Dan Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

NOTE: This highlights part of an earlier Feb. 15, 2021 article:

1927 Pioneer Woman ~ Ponca City, OK ~ E.W. Marland

Bryant Baker’s Entry

Was a reunion for Hermon and Jo and John Gregory.

A. Sterling Calder H.A. MacNeil Jo Davidson

“Self-Reliant” “Challenging” “Trusting”

In 1927 wealthy oilman E. W. Marland of Ponca City, Oklahoma invited a dozen American sculptors to compete for a commission to create a statue to honor the Pioneer Woman.

Each artist was to submit a two-foot bronze model for the monument, which was to express, in Marland’s words,

“the spirit of the pioneer woman—a tribute to all women of the sunbonnet everywhere.”

PROTECTIVE by John Gregory

MODELS: Marland’s selection of that dozen sculptors became something of a reunion for Jo Davidson^[1] and Hermon MacNeil and John Gregory (an earlier assistant with Davidson in MacNeil’s studio). Others invited were invited included James Earle Fraser, Bryant Baker, and A. Stirling Calder. Each of the dozen were paid $10,000 to produce a bronze two-foot statue model with the winner to be determined by public vote.

TOUR: The models were sent on a six-month tour of several U.S. cities, from New York and Boston to Minneapolis and Fort Worth and Chicago. Tens of thousands of ballots were cast, and Baker’s model “Confident” won by a margin of nearly two to one. Neither MacNeil or his two previous students won the commission.

Bryant Baker’s entry won the final comission by a wide margin of ballots. Each artist submitted a two-foot bronze model for the monument, which was to express, in Marland’s words, “the spirit of the pioneer woman—a tribute to all women of the sunbonnet everywhere.”

Meanwhile, JO DAVIDSON struck OIL with E. W. Marland …

Jo Davidson charmed E. W. Marland so that he built a permanent studio for the sculptor in Ponca City.

While Jo declined moving there permanently, but did spent weeks there completing statues of E. W., his daughter, Lyde standing holding a large garden bonnet; and son, George, in boots and riding breeches. He also carved in marble the seated figure of E.W. Marland which remains outside the museum a century later.

After completing the sculptures, E. W. Marland took Jo on a trip to California and back to New York in his private railroad car the “Ponca City.” Jo wrote letters to Yvonne during the two-week excursion. Jo met E. W.’s friends, and E.W. met Jo’s friends. “The Trip, one of the richest experiences of my life, eventually was over, and I set out for Europe where political developments were moving at a rapid pace.” [Between Sittings…, pp. 210-220.]

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE WOOLROC MUSEUM . . .

CLICK HERE

Categories : Location

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Apr

MacNeil’s “Pioneer Woman” ~ Visiting Ponca City, OK ~ Part 1

Posted by: Dan Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

“Challenging” is the title of MacNeil’s “Pioneer Woman” (1927) at the Museum Home of E.W. Marland in Ponca City, OK. Her right hand bears an axe while her left carries her child. She wears no bonnet.

ON December 13, 2022, I visited Ponca City OK. I photographed MacNeil’s entry in the 1927 commission contest sponsored by E. W. Marland.

Here are a few results of this day of “Searching for Uncle Hermon.”

A previous posting CLICK HERE displayed this work and others by MacNeil and Jo Davidson. An excerpt stated:

‘In 1927 wealthy oilman E. W. Marland of Ponca City, Oklahoma invited a dozen American sculptors to compete for a commission to create a statue to honor the Pioneer Woman. Each artist was to submit a two-foot bronze model for the monument, which was to express, in Marland’s words, “the spirit of the pioneer woman—a tribute to all women of the sunbonnet everywhere.”’ SEE POST: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2021/02/15/hermon-and-jo-at-the-peaks-of-careers-story-3-feb-2021/

Detail of MacNeil’s “Pioneer Woman” holding her infant clinging to her breast.

“Challenging” is MacNeil’s entry to the “Pioneer Woman” competition. She wears no bonnet. Her hair seems ‘frontier-feminine’ in length. She holds her child close to her breast. Her gaze is forward and alert.

The artists who submitted models for Marland’s commission were Bryant Baker, A, Stirling Calder, Jo Davidson, James Earle Fraser, John Gregory, F. Lynn Jenkins, Mario Korbel, Arthur Lee, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, Maurice Sterne, Mahonri Young, and Wheeler Williams.^[3] The models were to tour America and everyone who visited the sites where they were exhibited was allowed to vote for their favorite.^{[6] SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Woman}

From its opening at the Reinhardt Galleries, the tour moved on. Stops included Boston, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, and Ponca City.^[14] At each location visitors were invited to vote for their three favorite models.^[8] In all over 750,000 people viewed the models and over 120,000 votes were placed.^[14]^[15]