Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1826, Louisa Lander (1826-1923) was a member of the expatriate community of American women sculptors who settled in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century, led by Charlotte Cushman and Harriet Hosmer. Although, Lander was ostracized from this community in 1859 due to a rumored personal scandal, and many of the details of her later life remain unknown.
According to an article written by Owen Boss that published in the Salem Patch in 2013, "(But) from a young age, Louisa had shown a talent for modeling in clay. She modeled heads in clay and wax for her dolls, sculpted figures in stone using a penknife, and carved a cameo without having instruction. When she was six years old, the family moved to her deceased grandmother, Elizabeth Derby West’s Oak Hill Estate in Danvers, (now North Shore Shopping Center). When Louisa was in her early twenties and had recently lost her mother, she and her family moved to 5 Summer Street, (now the Salem Inn), which was formerly the home of her grandfather, Nathaniel West.
In 1855 she sailed to Italy where she became the only student of the famous sculptor, Thomas Crawford, who had been living in Rome for twenty years. He had produced a large number of U.S. public monuments, such as the figure above the dome of the U.S. Capitol, as well as a number of statues now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After two years of study with Crawford, where he had 50 assistants working on his many commissions, Louisa suddenly found herself without a mentor when Crawford unexpectedly died at age 44.
Rather than seek another teacher, Louisa set out on her own, opening her own studio and pursuing commissions. During a trip to London she saw drawings of Native Americans from the ill fated expedition to Roanoke Island, North Carolina and learned the story of Virginia Dare.
In 1858 Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family arrived in Rome during their extended time in Europe after Hawthorne left his Consul Post in England. Hawthorne became acquainted with the artist community in Rome through fellow Salemite and sculptor Joseph Story whose father, Judge Story, had entertained him in Salem. Shortly after Hawthorne’s arrival, Louisa introduced herself to Hawthorne and became friends with him and his family. She visited frequently, accompanied them on excursions and was considered a family friend.
Hawthorne admired her work, especially Virginia Dare, and gave her a commission for a bust of himself. In his diary, the 54 year old Hawthorne wrote of his admiration of the 32 year old Louisa. From his diary entries and subsequent descriptions of Hilda, a character based on Louisa in his book, The Marble Faun, it appears he was quite taken with her beauty and talent. This admiration and commission didn’t sit well with others in the community.
Lander left Rome in 1859, visited Russia, then returned home to Summer Street in Salem, whereas in 1863, she put on a successful exhibition of her art in Boston.
Louisa remained in Salem where she did some painting but apparently didn’t receive any commissions for her sculptures. She did a number of life-sized sculptures of heroic women over the course of her career that were all well received. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of most of her pieces is unknown. Her statue of Virginia Dare now has a place of honor in the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, while her bust of Hawthorne is in the Concord Free Library in Concord Massachusetts. A cameo she carved is a listed possession of the Peabody Essex Museum.
In 1893, Louisa Lander moved to Washington D.C., where she remained until her death in 1923 at 97 years."
Interestingly, a bit of information that I recently came across published in the The Daily Item in Lynn, Massachusetts on June 1, 1880, cites a bit of Lander's history that may be somewhat forgotten today. In fact, this subject absolutely fascinates me. Furthermore, aside from her work as a sculptor, she appears to have also known the local red earthenware potters Charles A. Lawrence in Beverly, Massachusetts and Moses Paige in Peabody, Massachusetts, as well as possibly the men who worked at these businesses.
According to some of the published information, Lander's made an ancient style red earthenware vase that was connected to both pottery businesses (a style of vase that was already being made in Beverly), "...The vase (that was made by Lander) on which was a graceful figure entitled, "Psyche," was modeled from Bass river clay (same source used by the Beverly Pottery), the baking being done at the "Old Danvers" Pottery (this would have now been the Moses Paige Pottery) in Peabody. This may be called a true art product of Essex county."
It is possible that the Peabody Essex Museum owns this object today, although this is the only information that I have ever seen published about it.
For more information about the wares made in Beverly and Peabody, I suggest the first two books published in my pottery book series - see the links below.
Beverly Book: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-beverly-pottery-the-wares-of-charles-a-lawrence/
Peabody Book: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/
An Ancient Style Red Earthenware Vase Made by Louisa Lander
This is Louisa Lander (1826-1923)
Published in the Cosmopolitan Art Journal in March 1861
See Article for More Information
An Ancient Style Red Earthenware Vase Made by Louisa Lander
Made from Bass River Clay and Fired in a Kiln in Peabody, Mass.
Published in The Daily Item in Lynn, Mass. on June 1, 1880
See Article for More Information
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
