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A Nineteenth-Century Sculptor and Her Feminist Connections

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A Nineteenth-Century Sculptor and Her Feminist Connections The Company She Kept: Susan D. Durant, A Nineteenth-Century Sculptor and Her Feminist Connections by Shannon Hunter Hurt¿do A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of G¡aduate Studies i¡ Partial Fulf¡Iment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Deparhent of History University of Manitoba \[/innipeg, Manitoba (c) AugusÇ 1994 Bibliothèque nalionale K*& Ï¡8åîå'o.jo'"o du Canada Acquisitions and Directìon des acquisitions et Eibliographic Services Branch des serv¡ces bibliographiques 395 Wellinolon Slreet 395, rue Wellington Onawa, Oñlario Onawa (Onlario) K1A ON4 K1A ON4 Yalrr hte Valte étêtehcø ø! l¡te Noxetélùence THE AUTHORHAS GRANTED AN L'AUTEUR A ACCORDE I.JNE LICENCE IRREVOCABLE NON-EXCLUSIVE IRREVOCABI.E ET NON EXCLUSIVE LICENCE ALLOWING TI{E NATIONAI PERMETTANT A LA BIBLIOTÉIEQIJE LIBRARY OF CANADATO NATIONALE DU CANADADE REPRODUCE, LOAN, DISTRIBUTE OR REPRODUIRE, PRETE& DISTRIBUER SELL COPIES OF HIS/TIER TI{ESIS BY OU VENDRE DES COPIES DE SA ANY MEANS AND IN ANY FORM OR TTIESE DE QI.JELQIJE MANIERE ET FORMAT, MAKING THIS T}TESIS SOUS QI.JELQUE FORME QUE CE SOIT AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED POURMETTRE DES E)GMPLAIRES DE PERSONS. CETTE T}IESE A LA DISPOSITION DES PERSONNE INTERESSEES. THE AUTHOR RETAINS OWNERSHIP L'AUTEUR CONSERVE LA PROPRIETE OF THE COPYRIGHT IN HIS/FIER DU DROIT D'AUTETJR QIJI PROTEGE TI#SIS, NEITHER TFIE T}IESIS NOR SATHESE. NILATHESEMDES SI]BSTANTIAL EXTRACTS FROM IT EXTRAITS SUBSTANTIELS DE CELLE- MAY BE PRINTED OR OTTMRW]SE CI NE DOIVENT ETRE IMPRIMES OU REPRODUCED WITHOUT HIS/IIER AUTREMENT REPRODUITS SANS SON PERMISSION. AUTORISATION. ISBN 0-3r5-99055-4 Canadä Nome Disse¡o¡ion lnlernol¡onolis¿ft¿nged by brood, generol sl[iiect coteoories. pleose se¡ect the one subiect which ^-lbstrocß most neorly describes lhe conlenl of your dissertotion. Ênter the ãorr",ponding four-ãigit code in the spoces provideå. /-lis{¿r.rr ldiWA {JMI SIBJECT ITRÀi SUBJECT CODE Subiecl Colegories ÏhIE HI^IAñAIIITIES A¡{Þ SOGIA¡, sC¡EF¡€ES TEE COüPATIY Sffi KEPT: SI]SÁN D. DI]P.ANT, A NINBTEEI{TE-CEìTTI'RY SCI'I,PTOR ÁIID EER FE}IINIST CON¡TECTIONS BY SSANNON EI]NTER ETRTAÐO A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Mânitoba in partial fulfillment of the requiremenb for the degree of XASTER OF ARTS @ 7994 Pensrission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF THE UNTVERSITY OF MANTTOBA to lmd or sell copies of this thesis, to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA bo mic¡ofilm this thesis and to l€nd or sell copies of the fíllxr, Ând TINTVERSITY MIGOFILMS to publish an abshact of this thesis. The author ¡eserves other publications rights, and neithe¡ the thesis nor €xtensive €xtrâctg ftom it may be printed or otherwis€ ¡eproduced without th€ autho/s permission. ¡IIßS sUEá.N DUNÄNT TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..... iü ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... r¡ LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS ... ........ vü INTRODUCTION .. ........... I CHAPTER ONE: EPLURIBUS UNUM, THENATUREOFVICTORIANFEMIMSM .... 2I CHAPTERTWO: THEWOMAN'S ARTMOVEMENT .. ....... 69 CHAPTER THREE: BYHER FRIENDS WE CANKNOIVHER . 114 CHAPTERFOUR: IVRITTENINSTONE ..... 189 coNcLUSroN ....... 220 APPENDIX .., 225 BIBLIOGRAPHY ... ......... 229 ILLUSTRATIONS ,, ......... 251 ABSTRrq.cT Nineteenth-century Britain witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of women who became professional artists, especially during the period from 1841 to 1871. Jþs liming ef 'his phenomenon coi¡cided with the emergence of a varied array of women's rights campaigns which together constituted Victorian feminism. However, little research has been done on the relationship between the women's art mov€ment and the feminist movements of the Victorian era. This thesis ex¡mines the social con¡ections and artistic production of Susan Durant, a successlul English sculptor, for evidence of feminist commitments. Fu¡ther, it advancæs the hypothesis that she is an exemplar of a more widely practised feminim within the female ¿rt community of the nineteenth century tåan has been acknowledged by feminist studies or art history. Because there is little information available about Durant, an alternative means of obteining data regarding her convictions was required. The lives of the i¡dividuals who comprised her exþnsive network of acquaintances were used as surrogates for missiag data about Durant's attitudes and ideals. This method, which I have termed "surrogate lives," involved an analysis of the convictions held by her acquaintances with a view to identifying patt€rns of commitment. Durant's written and sculpted works were used as a canon against which to compare conclusions drawn from the analysis of her friendships. In order to place Durant's feminist lü involvements s¿l1hin ¿ larger context, the major featwes of the women's art movement were examined for sinila¡ities to tbe characteristics of Victorian fe¡:rinim. Significant pattems emerged from the study of Durant's social contacts. The majority of the individuals under consideration were either philosophical radicals who were sympathetic to women's conc€rrìs or avowed feminists. Information in Durant's letters and an analysis of the subject matûer of five ofher sculptures supported the hypothesis that Durant \ryas a feminist. The women's art movement, in which she participated, was found to have a m¡rked resemblance to the Victorian feminist proganx. On the basis of these frndings, the thesis concludes that Susan Durant was a feminist artist and that the women's art movement was one of the varied groups which embodied Victorian feminism. lv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply gratelul to those people who facilitated the writing of this thesis. Fi¡st among them is my thesis supervisor, Dr. Claudine Majzels, who consistently offered encouragement and valuable advice i¡ all stages of this project. Dr. Phillip Ward- Jackson, Deputy Conway Librarian, Courtauld Institute, freely shared his knowledge of British sculpture and his enthusiasm for the "detective wo¡k" I had undertaken in trying to locate Susan Durant. Lady de Bellaigue, the Registrar of the Queen's Archives, Windsor Castle, made my visits to the Archive pleasant and productive by gathering together all the documents I needed before I arrived each time. M¡. Jeremy Johnson of the Guildhall Art Gallery, Ms Nicola Kalinsþ, Curator of the University College London A¡t Collections, Dr. Tim Moreton, Assistant to the Registrar of the National Portrait Gallery, London, Mr. William Agnew of Agnew's, London, and Dr. Cbristopher Ridgway, Lib¡arian of Castle Howard, all made special arrangements for me to view works by Susan Durant. I am indebted to Mrs. Alice Russell, owner of the Homer medallion, for her willingness to let me examine the sculpture. Her friendly hospitality and lively conversation were memorable. Ms Kate Perry, Archivist of Girton College Archive, and Mr. David Doughan, Librarian, Fawcett Library, London both made extra efforts to help me with my research. I am appreciative of the help offered by Dr. Sibylle Einholz, Staatliche Museum, Berlin, and Mrs. Saskia Hüneke, Curator for Sculpture, Sanssouci Castle, Potsdam. I would like to thank the staff ol the following i¡stitutions for their kird assista¡ce: the House of Lords Lib¡ary; the Stowe-Day Foundation, Hartford, Connecticut; the Royal Academy of Arts, London; the Yale Centre for British A¡t; the National Portrait Gallery Archive and Library; and Christie's, London. The last word of thanks goes to my husband, Larry, who listened patiently while I wrestled with ideas and generously agreed to oversee the printilg of the thesis. LIST OF ILLUSTR,A.TIONS Frontispiece. Susan Durant. Engraving. The Queen: A Ladl¿'s Newspane¡ (22 February 1873):141. 1. Susan Durant. George Grote 1863. Marble medallion, 22 1/2 nches htgh, 17 2/3 inches wide. College Art Collections, University College London. Photo: Conway Library, Courtauld Institute of Art. 2. Susan Durant. Homer 1864. The Ridgeway, Shere, Surrey. Photo: the author. 3. Susan Durant. H.R.H. the Crown Princess olPmssia Frincess Victoria) 1866. Ma¡ble. Royal Collection, Albert Memorial Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo: Courtauld Institute of Art. 4. Susan Durant. Princess Louise 1866. Marble. Ajbert Mernorial Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo: Courtauld Institute of Art. 5. Susan Durant. Harriet Beecher Stowe 1856. Clay model, 24 inches high. Stowe- Day Foundation, Hartford, Connecticut. Photo: Bisson Frères, Paris, ca. 1856. 6. Susan Durant. The Faithful Shenherdess 1863. Marble, 84 inches high. Egyptian Hall, Mansion House, London. Photo: Courtauld Institute of A¡t. 7. Harriet Hosmer. Zenobia in Chains 1859. Ma¡ble, 149 inches high. Wadswroth Athenaeum, Hartfo¡d, Connecticut. Photo from Whitney Chadwick, Women. A¡t and SocietJ¿ (London: Thames and Hudson, 1990), p. 203. 8. Susan Durant. Constance 1866. Marble. Sanssouci Castle, Potsdam. Photo: Courtesy of Saskia Hüneke, vll INTRODUCTION Successful female sculptors were extremely rare during the Victorian era though sculpture was a much-sought-after form of art. Those who appropriated this othe¡wise "masculine" occupation were pioneers in a society which maintained separate, and unequal, roles for men and women. Susan fDugdale] Durant Durant was an English sculptor whose career lrom 1847 to 1873 coi¡cided with a period of increasing public agitation for relorms in favour of women. Despite havi:rg been one of the two most successful female sculptors in mid-Victorian Britain (Mary Thornycroft was the other) she has received scant mention in surveys ofnineteenth- century sculpture. Her name has been largely forgotten, In this thesis I hope to present something of Susan Durant's artistic skill. However, I do not wish to make her contribution to the history of sculpture the central feature of this work. Rather, on the basis of what can be known about Durant from her ci¡cle of acquaintance and her sculpture, I irtend to show that she was a feminist who actively supported the suffrage and women's education movements. Further, I wiJl suggest that she is an exemplar of a more widely practised feminism within the female art community of the nineteenth century than has been acknowledged by feminist studies or art history.
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