Jessie Lipscomb,laterJessie Elborne,(13 June 1861 – 12 January 1952) was an English sculptor of the human figure. She worked in Paris in a shared studio workshop in the late 1800s with French sculptorCamille Claudeland two fellow alumni from the Royal College of Art: Amy Singer and Emily Fawcett.
Jessie Lipscomb | |
|---|---|
 Lipscomb in 1887 | |
| Born | 13 June 1861 Grantham,Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 12 January 1952(aged 90) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Art |
| Occupation | sculptor |
| Years active | 1882-1887 |
| Known for | figurative sculpture |
| Awards | Queen's Prize, 1882 National Silver Medal, 1883 |
Early life and education
editJessie Lipscomb was born inGrantham,Lincolnshire, England in 1861, the only child of Sidney Lipscomb, a colliery agent and Harriet Arnold, a barmaid.[1]In 1875, the family moved toPeterborough.She attended theRoyal College of Artwhich was at that time called theNational Art Training SchoolinSouth Kensington.[2]She won two prizes from the school: the Queen's Prize in 1882 and a national silver medal in 1883.[2]
Lipscomb visited Paris with a view to continuing her education. Her instructors,Alphonse LegrosandÉdouard Lantéri,encouraged Lipscomb to further her studies in Paris where the schooling was more equitable for female students.[1]Two previous graduates of theNational Art Training School- Amy Singer and Emily Fawcett - were already living in Paris, and sharing a studio with the young French sculptorCamille Claudel.[3]In January 1884, Claudel's mother Louise wrote to Lipscomb and confirmed the arrangement that she was welcome to lodge with the Claudel family for 200 francs a month.
In 1885, Lipscomb and Claudel were the first women to joinAuguste Rodin's all-male atelier to sculpt portions of a major commissioned work:The Burghers of Calais.[1]Lipscomb was a gifted modeler, excelling in sculpting drapery.[1]
Lipscomb and Claudel spent the summer of 1886, from May through September, in Peterborough with Jessie's family.[1]At this time Jessie was exhibiting a terra-cotta bustDay Dreams(1886) in the Royal Academy, and inNottingham.[2]Letters from Rodin, addressed to Lipscomb, indicate that Rodin was pursuing Claudel during this time, despite the fact that he had a common law wife.[1]After the summer in England, both women returned to Paris and continued to work with Rodin for a time before their paths diverged.[1]
The friendship between Lipscomb and Claudel deteriorated and the latter claimed never to want to see Lipscomb again. However, Lipscomb visited Claudel in 1929,[4]where Claudel was confined in the Montdevergues Asylum.[5]The photograph taken during this visit by Lipscomb's husband[6]is considered to be one of the last known images of Claudel.[7]
Sculpture
edit
From 1885 - 1887 Lipscomb exhibited her artwork annually in exhibitions at both the Royal Academy of Arts andNottingham Castle Museum.[8]She exhibited a terra-cotta piece entitledSans Souci,a plaster portrait ofCamille Claudel,and a bust of the Italian modelGigantiin 1887.
Personal life
editLipscomb married William Elborne[8]on 26 December 1887 and they settled inManchester.The couple had four children together and died within eight days of each other in 1952.[2]
In popular culture
editMaggie Ritchie's 2015 novelParis Kissfocuses on the relationship between Jessie Lipscomb and Camille Claudel, and offers a highly fictionalized version of Claudel and Rodin's affair.
References
edit- ^abcdefgAyral-Clause, Odile (2019).Camille Claudel: A Life.Plunkett Lake Press.ISBN978-0810990760.
- ^abcdSara Gray (2019).British Women Artists. A Biographical Dictionary of 1000 Women Artists in the British Decorative Arts.Dark River.ISBN978-1-911121-63-3.
- ^Wilson, Susannah (2017)."Gender, Genius, and the Artist's Double Bind: The Letters of Camille Claudel, 1880–1910"(PDF).The Modern Language Review.112(2): 362–380.doi:10.5699/modelangrevi.112.2.0362.JSTOR10.5699/modelangrevi.112.2.0362.
- ^"Camille Claudel Biography, Life & Quotes".The Art Story.Retrieved22 April2020.
- ^Garman, Emma (12 April 2017)."Genius, Interrupted".Lapham’s Quarterly.Retrieved22 April2020.
- ^Vollmer, U. (2007).Seeing Film and Reading Feminist Theology: A Dialogue.Springer.ISBN9780230606852.
- ^Kennedy, Maev (25 March 2017)."Museum rescues sculptor Camille Claudel from decades of obscurity".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved23 April2020.
- ^ab"'Miss Jessie Lipscomb', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951 ".University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database.2011.Retrieved18 April2020.
External links
edit- Some of her sculptures
- A photographtaken by her ofAuguste Rodinand hisThe Gates of Hell
