Nellie V. Walker (1874-1973) Collection, 1901-1973

  • IdentificationPUBLIC "-//The Art Institute of Chicago::Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives//TEXT(US::ICA::1988.4::NELLIE V. WALKER (1874-1973) COLLECTION, 1901-1973)//EN" "ica198804.xml"
  • TitleWalker, Nellie V., (1874-1973) Collection, 1901-1973
  • PublisherArt Institute of Chicago Archives, Research Center, The Art Institute of Chicago,
  • Language
    • English.
    • English
  • Date1901-1973
  • Physical Description
    • 1 linear foot (2 boxes) and flatfile materials
    • Autograph and typescript correspondence, printed papers, an architectural reprographic print, and black and white photographic prints.
  • RepositoryRyerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago 111 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60603-6110 archives@artic.edu https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections
  • AbstractCorrespondence, design papers, and photographs document the work of American sculptor Nellie V. Walker and her association with American sculptor Lorado Taft.
  • OriginationWalker, Nellie Verne, 1874-1973.
  • LocationThe collection is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Archives’ on-site stacks.

Nellie Verne Walker (1874-1973) had received no formal training before one of her works--a carved stone bust of Lincoln--was selected for exhibition in the Iowa Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. After the exposition her formal training consisted of taking classes at The Art Institute of Chicago and serving as a teaching assistant for Lorado Taft, beginning in 1901. When Taft established the Midway Studios in 1911, Walker moved her studio to join him and occasionally worked on Taft's commissions. The majority of Walker's commissions are located in the Midwest: the Lincoln family monument, near Vincennes, Indiana; grave monuments in Chicago, Cadillac and Battle Creek, Michigan; statues of Chief Keokuk and Iowa Senator James Harlan; and sculptural panels for buildings at the University of Michigan, Sullivan School in Chicago, and the Iowa State Capitol. Walker moved from Chicago to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1948 and produced few sculptures between 1948 and her death in 1973.

Approximately thirty of Walker's sculptures are represented with black and white photographs in the collection, arranged chronologically. One project--the grave monument and statue of Winfield Scott Stratton, in Colorado Springs--is particularly well documented in correspondence and other business papers. Series III, Personal Papers, contains a certificate, a newspaper article, correspondence, and typescript. Series IV, Lorado Taft Papers, includes portraits of Taft, views of Taft working, group photos of Taft and others, photos of a few of Taft's sculptures, his studio, and some unidentified photographs. Also included are two printed speeches by Taft, newspaper and magazine articles about Taft, and one contract.

SERIES I: WINFIELD SCOTT STRATTON MONUMENT. Correspondence from Walker to William Lloyd, in chronological order, is followed by correspondence from Virginia Cobb to William Lloyd, in chronological order; thereafter, statue fabrication estimates, in chronological order; a legal agreement, and design documents complete the series.

SERIES II: PHOTOGRAPHS. Divided into two subseries: Walker Artwork and Walker Miscellaneous. The first subseries consists of black and white photographs of Walker's work are listed chronologically by the sculpture's completion date, with an undated sculpture listed at the end of the series.

SERIES III: PERSONAL PAPERS. Arranged chronologically.

SERIES IV: LORADO TAFT PAPERS (SMART MUSEUM GIFT). Divided into three subseries: Photographs and Images, Printed Matter and Business Papers.

  • Names
    • Walker, Nellie Verne, 1874-1973.
    • Taft, Lorado, 1860-1936.
  • Subject
    • Sculpture, American--19th century--Photographs.
    • Sculpture, American--20th century--Photographs.
    • Sculptors--United States--Archives.

ALS

BOX.FF

c.

Flatf.

n.d.

TLS

This collection may be accessed by users in the Reading Room of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at The Art Institute of Chicago. Collections maintained on-site are available for patron use without prior arrangement or appointment. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification; please consult the Archivist for the current retrieval schedule. For further information, consult https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/contact-usage-and-faq.

The Art Institute of Chicago is providing access to the materials in the Archives’ collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of the Art Institute is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Art Institute of Chicago Archives. In addition to permission from the Art Institute, permission of the copyright owner (if not the Art Institute) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distribution, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. The Art Institute makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Nellie V. Walker Collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The majority of the Nellie V. Walker Collection was purchased from a private dealer in 1988. The Friends of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries contributed funds towards its purchase. Other materials were donated to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives by the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art in April 2005.

The collection was processed by staff of the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1994. This finding aid was revised and expanded by Annemarie van Roessel in 2003 and by Nathaniel Parks in 2005.

The materials donated by the University of Chicago's Smart Museum were acquired by that institution through a gift of Irma Clark, a cousin of Nellie V. Walker.