MEARS, HELEN FARNSWORTH

born Dec. 21, 1872, Oshkosh, Wis., U.S. died Feb. 17, 1916, New York, N.Y. American sculptor, remembered most for her large-scale work in bronze and bas-relief commissioned for public buildings. Mears attended Oshkosh State Normal School (now a branch of the University of Wisconsin). In 1892 she was commissioned to sculpt a woman-and-winged-eagle design entitled Genius of Wisconsin for the Wisconsin Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. While executing the work at the Art Institute of Chicago, she received some encouragement from Lorado Taft. The success of the piece, which was later installed in the Wisconsin State Capitol, enabled Mears to travel to New York City and enroll in the Art Students' League. Shortly afterward she became an assistant to and student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. From 1897 to 1899 she studied in France and Italy. On her return to New York City in 1899, Mears established a studio on Washington Square and embarked on a brief but highly successful career as a professional sculptor. Her craftsmanship, artistic sensibility, and energy were respected greatly by her colleagues. Among her commissions were bronze busts of George Rogers Clark (for the Milwaukee [Wisconsin] Public Library) and William T.G. Morton (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.), bas-relief portraits of Saint-Gaudens (Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Maryland) and Edward MacDowell (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City), a three-panel bas-relief work entitled The Fountain of Life, and a full-length statue of Frances E. Willard. A number of pieces were left uncompleted when Mears died.