Elisabet Ney
Encyclopedia
Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney (January 26, 1833–June 29, 1907) was a celebrated German-born sculptor
who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe
, producing sculpted works of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck
, Giuseppe Garibaldi
and King George V of Hanover
. At age 39, she emigrated to Texas with her husband Edmund Montgomery
and became a pioneer in the development of art in the state
of Texas
, USA
. Some of her most famous works during her Texas period included sculptures of Sam Houston
and Stephen F. Austin
. Her works can be found in the Texas State Capitol
, U.S. Capitol
, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
.
, Westphalia
, Germany
to Johann Adam Ney, a stonecarver, and his wife Anna Elizabeth on January 26, 1833. The only other surviving child in the Ney family was her older brother Fritz. Her parents were Catholic
s of Alsatian
-Polish heritage. She was the great-niece of Michel Ney
, Marshal of France
. Early in life, she declared her goal "to know great persons."
. She received her diploma on July 29, 1854. After graduating she moved to Berlin
to study under Christian Daniel Rauch
.
Ney opened a studio in Berlin in 1857. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer
agreed to sit for a sculpted portrait at the persuasion of Edmund Montgomery. It was hailed as an artistic success and led to other commissions, most notably Jacob Grimm
of the Brothers Grimm
, Italian military leader Giuseppe Garibaldi
, composer Richard Wagner
as well as his future wife and daughter of Franz Liszt
, Cosima von Bülow, Prussian-German political figure Otto von Bismarck
, and King George V of Hanover
who in turn commissioned her for a portrait of composer Josef Joachim
. Shortly after completing the Bismarck bust, she was commissioned in 1868 by Prussian agents to sculpt a full-length portrait of Ludwig II of Bavaria
in Munich
. Her works of this period were in a traditional classical German style with an emphasis on realism and accurate scale.
by Governor Oran M. Roberts
, which resulted in resumption of her artistic career. In 1892, she built a studio and named it Formosa
in the Hyde Park neighborhood
north of Austin and began to seek commissions.
In 1891, Ney was commissioned by the Board of Lady Managers of the Chicago World's Fair Association, and supplemented with $32,000 by the Texas state legislature, to model Sam Houston
and Stephen F. Austin
for the Chicago World's Fair
in 1893. The marble
sculptures of Houston and Austin can now be seen in both the Texas State Capitol
in Austin and in the National Statuary Hall Collection
in the U.S. Capitol
in Washington, D.C.
. She was also commissioned to do a memorial to career military officer and war hero Albert Sidney Johnston
which sits at his grave in the Texas State Cemetery
. She also sculpted a statue of Lady Macbeth
that is now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum
collection. She succeeded in having political figure, presidential candidate, and noted attorney William Jennings Bryan
sit for a portrait.
The 1903 life-size portrait bust of Dr. David Thomas Iglehart can be found at Symphony Square in Austin, where it is on permanent loan to the Austin Symphony Society. Possibly the last known work of Elisabet Ney, that of a tousled haired cherub
resting over a grave and known as the 1906 Schnerr Memorial, can be found at Der Stadt Friedhof
in Fredericksburg, Texas
.
In addition to her sculpting activities, Ney was also active in cultural affairs in Austin. Formosa become a center for cultural gatherings and curiosity seekers. Both composer Paderewski and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova were among her visitors.
in 1853, Ney made the acquaintance of a young Scottish
medical student named Edmund Montgomery. It would be a meeting of minds and idealist rebellious spirits. They kept in touch, although she viewed the institution of marriage as a state of bondage for women. He would not be deterred, and after he established a medical practice in Madeira
, they were married at the British consulate on November 7, 1863.
Ney, however, remained outspoken about women's roles. She refused to use her husband's name, often denied she was even married, and once remarked:
She wore pants and rode her horses astride as men did. She liked to fashion her own clothes, which, in addition to the slacks, included boots and a black artist frock coat.
Montgomery was diagnosed with tuberculosis
in 1863. By 1870, the Franco-Prussian War
had begun. In autumn of that year, Ney became pregnant with their first child. Montgomery received a letter from his friend Baron Carl Vicco Otto Friedrich Constantin von Stralendorff of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
who had moved to Thomasville, Georgia
with his new wife Margaret Elizabeth Russell of Boston, Massachusetts, declaring the location "Earth's paradise." On January 14, 1871, Ney and Montgomery, accompanied by their housekeeper Cenci, emigrated to Georgia, to a colony promoted as a resort for consumptives. Son Arthur (1871–1873) was born in Georgia, and son Lorne (1872–1913) was born in Red Wing, Minnesota
during one of their travels. Baron and Baroness von Stralendorff returned to Wismar
Germany
where he died on July 1, 1872.
In 1873, Ney traveled alone to Texas. With the help of German Consul Julius Runge in Galveston
, she was shown Liendo Plantation
near Hempstead
in Waller County, Texas. On March 4, 1873, Montgomery and the rest of the family arrived, and he purchased it. While he tended to his research, she ran it for the next twenty years. Oldest son Arthur died of diphtheria
in 1873.
Upon her death, Montgomery sold the Formosa studio to Ella Dancy Dibrell. As per her wishes, the studio's contents were bequeathed to the University of Texas at Austin
, but were to remain in the building. In 1911, Dibrell and other friends established the Texas Fine Arts Association (now known as Arthouse) in her honor. It is the oldest Texas-wide organization existing for support of the visual arts. Formosa is now the home of the Elisabet Ney Museum
. In 1941, the City of Austin took over the ownership and operation.
In 1961, Lake Jackson Primary School in Lake Jackson, Texas
was renamed Elisabet Ney Elementary School in her honor.
.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, producing sculpted works of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
and King George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
. At age 39, she emigrated to Texas with her husband Edmund Montgomery
Edmund Montgomery
Edmund Duncan Montgomery was a Scottish philosopher, scientist and physician.-Early life:Edmund Duncan Montgomery was born March, 1835, in Edinburgh, Scotland...
and became a pioneer in the development of art in the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Some of her most famous works during her Texas period included sculptures of Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
and Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. Her works can be found in the Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
, U.S. Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
.
Early life
Ney was born in MünsterMünster (region)
Münster is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north of the state, and named after the city of Münster. It includes the area which in medieval times was known as the Dreingau....
, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Johann Adam Ney, a stonecarver, and his wife Anna Elizabeth on January 26, 1833. The only other surviving child in the Ney family was her older brother Fritz. Her parents were Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s of Alsatian
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
-Polish heritage. She was the great-niece of Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
, Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
. Early in life, she declared her goal "to know great persons."
Europe
Ney grew up assisting her stonecutter father in his work. She went on a weeks-long hunger strike when her parents opposed her becoming a sculptor, prompting her parents to request the assistance of their local Catholic church's Bishop. They finally relented and in 1852, she became the first female sculpture student at the all-male Munich Academy of ArtAcademy of Fine Arts, Munich
The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich was founded 1808 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in Munich as the "Royal Academy of Fine Arts" and is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany...
. She received her diploma on July 29, 1854. After graduating she moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to study under Christian Daniel Rauch
Christian Daniel Rauch
Christian Daniel Rauch was a German sculptor. He founded the Berlin school of sculpture, and was the foremost German sculptor of the 19th century.-Biography:Rauch was born at Arolsen in the Principality of Waldeck...
.
Ney opened a studio in Berlin in 1857. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal...
agreed to sit for a sculpted portrait at the persuasion of Edmund Montgomery. It was hailed as an artistic success and led to other commissions, most notably Jacob Grimm
Jacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy...
of the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, Italian military leader Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
, composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
as well as his future wife and daughter of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, Cosima von Bülow, Prussian-German political figure Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, and King George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
who in turn commissioned her for a portrait of composer Josef Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
. Shortly after completing the Bismarck bust, she was commissioned in 1868 by Prussian agents to sculpt a full-length portrait of Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Her works of this period were in a traditional classical German style with an emphasis on realism and accurate scale.
United States
In the early 1880s, Ney, by then a Texas resident, was invited to AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
by Governor Oran M. Roberts
Oran M. Roberts
Oran Milo Roberts , was the 17th Governor of Texas from January 21, 1879 to January 16, 1883. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Roberts County, Texas, is named after him....
, which resulted in resumption of her artistic career. In 1892, she built a studio and named it Formosa
Elisabet Ney Museum
The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. The museum is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of Ney's portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.Formosa, as...
in the Hyde Park neighborhood
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
north of Austin and began to seek commissions.
In 1891, Ney was commissioned by the Board of Lady Managers of the Chicago World's Fair Association, and supplemented with $32,000 by the Texas state legislature, to model Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
and Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
for the Chicago World's Fair
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in 1893. The marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
sculptures of Houston and Austin can now be seen in both the Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
in Austin and in the National Statuary Hall Collection
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
in the U.S. Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. She was also commissioned to do a memorial to career military officer and war hero Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
which sits at his grave in the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
. She also sculpted a statue of Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
that is now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
collection. She succeeded in having political figure, presidential candidate, and noted attorney William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
sit for a portrait.
The 1903 life-size portrait bust of Dr. David Thomas Iglehart can be found at Symphony Square in Austin, where it is on permanent loan to the Austin Symphony Society. Possibly the last known work of Elisabet Ney, that of a tousled haired cherub
Cherub
A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...
resting over a grave and known as the 1906 Schnerr Memorial, can be found at Der Stadt Friedhof
Der Stadt Friedhof
Der Stadt Friedhof is a pioneer cemetery established in 1846 along Barons Creek on the corner of East Schubert Street and Lee Street, in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is the oldest known cemetery within Fredericksburg and is the final resting place for many of the original German colonists who arrived...
in Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
.
In addition to her sculpting activities, Ney was also active in cultural affairs in Austin. Formosa become a center for cultural gatherings and curiosity seekers. Both composer Paderewski and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova were among her visitors.
Personal life
While visiting friends in HeidelbergHeidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
in 1853, Ney made the acquaintance of a young Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
medical student named Edmund Montgomery. It would be a meeting of minds and idealist rebellious spirits. They kept in touch, although she viewed the institution of marriage as a state of bondage for women. He would not be deterred, and after he established a medical practice in Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, they were married at the British consulate on November 7, 1863.
Ney, however, remained outspoken about women's roles. She refused to use her husband's name, often denied she was even married, and once remarked:
She wore pants and rode her horses astride as men did. She liked to fashion her own clothes, which, in addition to the slacks, included boots and a black artist frock coat.
Montgomery was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1863. By 1870, the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
had begun. In autumn of that year, Ney became pregnant with their first child. Montgomery received a letter from his friend Baron Carl Vicco Otto Friedrich Constantin von Stralendorff of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
who had moved to Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
with his new wife Margaret Elizabeth Russell of Boston, Massachusetts, declaring the location "Earth's paradise." On January 14, 1871, Ney and Montgomery, accompanied by their housekeeper Cenci, emigrated to Georgia, to a colony promoted as a resort for consumptives. Son Arthur (1871–1873) was born in Georgia, and son Lorne (1872–1913) was born in Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
during one of their travels. Baron and Baroness von Stralendorff returned to Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he died on July 1, 1872.
In 1873, Ney traveled alone to Texas. With the help of German Consul Julius Runge in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, she was shown Liendo Plantation
Liendo Plantation
Liendo Plantation is an historic cotton plantation in Waller County, Texas, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1971.In 1936, Liendo was designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 9396...
near Hempstead
Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States. The community, located at the junctions of U.S. Highway 290, Texas State Highway 6, and Texas State Highway 159, is around fifty miles northwest of Downtown Houston. The population was 4,691 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of...
in Waller County, Texas. On March 4, 1873, Montgomery and the rest of the family arrived, and he purchased it. While he tended to his research, she ran it for the next twenty years. Oldest son Arthur died of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
in 1873.
Death and legacy
Ney died in Austin on June 29, 1907 and is buried next to Montgomery, who died four years later, at Liendo Plantation.Upon her death, Montgomery sold the Formosa studio to Ella Dancy Dibrell. As per her wishes, the studio's contents were bequeathed to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, but were to remain in the building. In 1911, Dibrell and other friends established the Texas Fine Arts Association (now known as Arthouse) in her honor. It is the oldest Texas-wide organization existing for support of the visual arts. Formosa is now the home of the Elisabet Ney Museum
Elisabet Ney Museum
The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. The museum is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of Ney's portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.Formosa, as...
. In 1941, the City of Austin took over the ownership and operation.
In 1961, Lake Jackson Primary School in Lake Jackson, Texas
Lake Jackson, Texas
Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city population was 27,614....
was renamed Elisabet Ney Elementary School in her honor.
Works (partial listing)
Source: Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin, Texas| Year | Work | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1855 | Johann Adam Ney | Munster |
| 1855 | Anna Elisabeth Wernze Ney | Munster |
| 1855 | Tyras - Adam Ney's Dog | Munster |
| 1856 | Grave Stele Relief | Berlin |
| 1856 | Herman Weiss Herman Weiss Herman Weiss was a Prussian born brewmaster. He immigrated to Texas in the 1880s with his wife Maria. Herman Weiss was living in San Antonio in 1900, when the 1900 hurricane destroyed Galveston. Perhaps seeking opportunity in the new city, he moved to Galveston and started Weiss and Son's... |
Berlin |
| 1857 | St. Sebastian Martyr - plaster | Munster |
| 1857 | St. Sebastian Martyr - marble | Munster |
| 1857 | St. Sebastian Resurrected | Munster |
| 1857 | Christ Resurrected | Munster |
| 1858 | Jacob Grimm Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy... |
Berlin |
| 1858 | Alexander von Humboldt Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt... |
Berlin |
| 1858 | Cosima von Bulow Cosima Wagner Cosima Francesca Gaetana Wagner, née de Flavigny, from 1844 known as Cosima Liszt; was the daughter of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt... |
Berlin |
| 1859 | Arthur Schopenhauer - plaster | Frankfurt |
| 1859 | Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal... - marble |
Frankfurt |
| 1859 | King George V of Hanover - medallion | Hannover |
| 1859 | King George V of Hanover - bust | Hannover |
| 1859 | King George V of Hanover George V of Hanover George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh... - colossal bust |
Hannover |
| 1861 | Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:... |
Hannover |
| 1861 | Eilhardt Mitscherlich | Hannover |
| 1861 | Ernst Herzog von Bayern | Munster |
| 1861 | Franz Friedrich von Furstenberg - figure | Munster |
| 1862 | Walter von Platenberg - study | Munster |
| 1862 | Walter von Platenberg - figure | Munster |
| 1862 | Count Englebert Vandermark - study | Munster |
| 1861 | Count Englebert Vandermark - figure | Munster |
| 1862 | Justus Moser Justus Möser Justus Möser was a German jurist and social theorist.Having studied law at the universities of Jena and Göttingen, he settled in his native town as a lawyer and was soon appointed advocatus patriae by his fellow citizens... - figure |
Munster |
| 1863 | Ricci | England |
| 1863 | Elisabet Ney self portrait | Medeira |
| 1863 | Thomas Taylor | England |
| 1863 | Genii of Mankind - plaster | England |
| 1863 | Self-Portrait - plaster | England |
| 1863 | Self-Portrait - marble | Madeira |
| 1864 | Edmund Montgomery - plaster | Madeira |
| 1864 | Edmund Montgomery - marble | Madeira |
| 1864 | Lady Marian Alford | Madeira |
| 1864 | Lord Brownlow | Madeira |
| 1864 | Genii of Mankind - marble | Italy |
| 1865 | Giuseppe Garibaldi - statuette | Italy |
| 1865 | Giuseppe Garibaldi - plaster | Italy |
| 1865 | Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and... - marble |
Italy |
| 1865 | Prometheus Bound | Austria |
| 1867 | Otto von Bismarck - plaster | Berlin |
| 1867 | Otto von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of... - marble |
Berlin |
| 1867 | Amalie Weiss Joachim | Hannover |
| 1868 | Friedrich Woehler - bust | Munich |
| 1868 | Friedrich Woehler - colossal bust | Munich |
| 1868 | Baron Justus von Liebig - bust | Munich |
| 1868 | Baron Justus von Liebig Justus von Liebig Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the... - colossal bust |
Munich |
| 1868 | Mercury Mercury (mythology) Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces... - study |
Munich |
| 1868 | Mercury - colossal figure | Munich |
| 1868 | Iris - study | Munich |
| 1868 | Iris - full figure | Munich |
| 1868 | Draped Figure - study | Munich |
| 1868 | Male Figure - study | Munich |
| 1868 | Frieze - study | Munich |
| 1868 | Fountain - study | Munich |
| 1868 | Count Georg von Werthern | Munich |
| 1868 | King Ludwig II - plaster | Munich |
| 1868 | King Ludwig II - marble | Munich |
| 1868 | King Ludwig II - life-size plaster | Munich |
| 1868 | King Ludwig II Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King... - life-size marble |
Munich |
| 1874 | Lorne Ney Montgomery - castings | Texas |
| 1885 | Oran M. Roberts Oran M. Roberts Oran Milo Roberts , was the 17th Governor of Texas from January 21, 1879 to January 16, 1883. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Roberts County, Texas, is named after him.... - plaster |
Texas |
| 1885 | Oran M. Roberts - marble | Texas |
| 1886 | Lorne Ney Montgomery | Texas |
| 1887 | Johanna Runge | Texas |
| 1887 | Julius Runge | Texas |
| 1892 | Benedette Tobin | Texas |
| 1892 | Sam Houston as Young Man - plaster bust | Texas |
| 1892 | Sam Houston as Older Man - bronze bust | Texas |
| 1892 | Sam Houston - life-size plaster | Texas |
| 1892 | Sam Houston Sam Houston Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of... - life-size marble |
Texas |
| 1892 | Stephen F. Austin - study | Texas |
| 1892 | Stephen F. Austin - plaster bust | Texas |
| 1893 | Stephen F. Austin - life-size plaster | Texas |
| 1893 | Stephen F. Austin Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,... - life-size marble |
Texas |
| 1893 | Governor W.P. Hardeman - plaster | Texas |
| 1893 | Governor W.P. Hardeman - marble | Texas |
| 1895 | Carrie Pease Graham - plaster | Texas |
| 1895 | Carrie Pease Graham - marble | Texas |
| 1895 | Senator John H. Reagan - plaster | Texas |
| 1895 | Senator John H. Reagan John Henninger Reagan John Henninger Reagan , was a leading 19th century American politician from the U.S. state of Texas. A Democrat, Reagan resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives when Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. He served in the cabinet of Jefferson Davis as... - marble |
Texas |
| 1895 | Governor Francis R. Lubbock - plaster | Texas |
| 1895 | Governor Francis R. Lubbock Francis Lubbock Francis Richard Lubbock was the ninth Governor of Texas and was in office during the American Civil War. He was the brother of Thomas Saltus Lubbock, for whom the City of Lubbock is named.... - marble |
Texas |
| 1896 | Paula Ebers - plaster | Berlin |
| 1896 | Paula Ebers - marble | Berlin |
| 1896 | Unknown Female Philanthropist | Berlin |
| 1896 | Unknown girl | Berlin |
| 1896 | Unknown woman | Berlin |
| 1896 | Dancing Maenid | Berlin |
| 1897 | Bride Neill Taylor - medallion | Texas |
| 1897 | Margaret Runge Rose - plaster | Texas |
| 1897 | Margaret Runge Rose - bronze | Texas |
| 1899 | Sir Swante Palm - plaster | Texas |
| 1899 | Sir Swante Palm - marble | Texas |
| 1899 | Lilly Haynie | Texas |
| 1899 | Steiner Burleson - plaster | Texas |
| 1899 | Steiner Burleson - marble | Texas |
| 1899 | William Jennings Bryan - plaster | Texas |
| 1899 | William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States... - marble |
Texas |
| 1900 | Guy M. Bryan - medallion | Texas |
| 1901 | Senator Joseph Dibrell - plaster | Texas |
| 1901 | Senator Joseph Dibrell - marble | Texas |
| 1901 | Ella Dancy Dibrell - medallion | Texas |
| 1901 | Governor Joseph Sayers - plaster | Texas |
| 1902 | Governor Joseph Sayers - marble | Texas |
| 1902 | Governor Sul Ross - plaster | Texas |
| 1902 | Governor Sul Ross - marble | Texas |
| 1902 | Bust of Christ | Texas |
| 1902 | Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army... - bust |
Texas |
| 1902 | Albert Sidney Johnston - life-size plaster | Texas |
| 1902 | Albert Sidney Johnston - life-size marble | Texas |
| 1902 | Jacob Bickler Jacob Bickler Jacob Bickler was a scholar, educator and president of the Texas State Teacher's Association. He was founder of the boys' Texas German and English Academy and the co-educational Bickler Academy, both located in Austin, Texas... - medallion |
Texas |
| 1902 | Lady Macbeth - study | Texas |
| 1902 | Lady Macbeth - life-size plaster | Texas |
| 1902 | Lady Macbeth - life-size marble | Texas |
| 1903 | Dr. David Thomas Iglehart - plaster | Texas |
| 1902 | Dr. David Thomas Iglehart - bronze | Texas |
| 1903 | Miller Baby cast | Texas |
| 1904 | Helen Marr Kirby | Texas |
| 1905 | Dr. William Lamdin Prather | Texas |
| 1906 | Schnerr Memorial - wax | Texas |
| 1906 | Schnerr Memorial - plaster | Texas |
| 1906 | Schnerr Memorial - marble | Texas |
Additional sources
- Selected Bibliography, Elisabet Ney Museum
- Cutrer, Emily Fourmy, The Art of the Woman: The Life and Work of Elisabet Ney, University of Nebraska PressUniversity of Nebraska PressThe University of Nebraska Press, founded in 1941, is a publisher of scholarly and popular-press books. It is the second-largest state university press in the United States and, including private institutions, ranks among the 10 largest university presses in the United States...
, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1988 (ISBN 0-8032-1438-3) - Fortune, Jan and Jean Barton, Elisabet Ney, Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
, New York, 1943 - Hendricks, Patricia D. and Becky Duval Reese, A Century of Sculpture in Texas: 1889 - 1989 (exhibition catalog), Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas PressUniversity of Texas PressThe University of Texas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texana, anthropology, U.S...
, Austin, Texas, 1989 - Little, Carol Morris, A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1996 (ISBN 0-292-76034-5)
Elisabet Ney in fiction
Ney appears as a character in the novel A Twist at the End: A Novel of O. Henry (Simon & Schuster, 2000) by Steven SaylorSteven Saylor
Steven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
.
External links
- Elizabet Ney
- Official site of the Elisabet Ney MuseumElisabet Ney MuseumThe Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. The museum is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of Ney's portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.Formosa, as...
- Elisabet Ney, Sculptor, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- "Lady Macbeth" Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Elisabet Ney Museum, List of Works