Bryant Baker

Percy Bryant Baker (8 July 1881 – 1970) was a British-born American sculptor.

Life and career

Baker was born on 8 July 1881 in London, England, the son and grandson of sculptors and stone carvers and the brother of sculptor Robert Baker. He was apprenticed to his father and learned the trade while engaging in mainly ecclesiastic and architectural projects — notably at Beverley Minister and the Victoria and Albert Museum. From 1901 until 1907 he studied at the City and Guild Technical Institute followed by four years at the Royal Academy of Arts. At an exhibition there in 1910 his work was brought to the attention of Queen Alexandra, which in turn led to commissions to sculpt a portrait bust and later a life sized statue of Edward VII and later a bust of Prince Olaf of Norway.

In 1916, Baker followed his brother Robert to America and was rewarded with a number of commissions, particularly portraits.

In 1928 Baker won the public competition over eleven other sculptors to create the Pioneer Woman statue for Ponca City, Oklahoma. The statue was sponsored by Oklahoma millionaire oilman E. W. Marland. Unveiled in a public ceremony in 1930, the statue is convert|27|ft|m high and weighs 12,000 pounds.

Baker continued producing sculpture, both for public exhibition and for private collections almost up until his death in 1970. Shortly thereafter the contents of his New York studio were purchased and moved to the E. W. Marland Mansion (by that time a city owned museum) in Ponca City where it is on display.

Notable Works

*Pioneer Woman, 1930, Ponca City, Oklahoma, convert|27|ft|m tall
*Grover Cleveland, 1932, Buffalo, New York, monumental sized
*Millard Filmore, 1932, Buffalo, New York, monumental sized
*L' Apres Midi D'on Faune, 1934, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
*George Washington, 1950, George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia
*John M. Clayton, 1934, National Statuary Hall Collection, Washington D.C. (for Delaware)
*Caesar Rodney, 1934, National Statuary Hall Collection, Washington D.C. (for Delaware)
*William E. Borah, 1947, National Statuary Hall Collection, Washington D.C. (for Idaho)
*Winston Churchill, erected around 1985, Winston Churchill Memorial Library, Fulton, Missouri

Resources

*"Compilation of Works of Art and Other Objects in the United States Capitol", Prepared by the Architect of the Capitol Under the Direction of the Joint Committee of the Library, United States Government Printing Press, Washington D.C. 1965
*Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, "Pioneer Women Statues in America", unpublished manuscript
*Proske, Beatrice Gilman, "Brookgreen Garden Sculpture", Printed by Order of the Trustees, Brookgreen, S.C. 1943
*various newspaper clippings from the Archives of the Pioneer Woman Museum, Ponca City, OK