Emily Clayton Bishop (April 23, 1883 – March 1, 1912) was an American prize-winning sculptor. Although she died at a young age, her works in bronze and plaster are found in museum collections such as the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

and in shows such as ''Modern Women at PAFA'' (2013). Her childhood home, the Emily Clayton Bishop house, is a Maryland State historic site. The home sold in 2019 for $115,000.

Early life

Emily Louise Clayton Bishop was born to John Hoye Bishop and Alice (Besore) Bishop on April 23, 1883, in

Cavetown, Maryland Cavetown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,486 at the 2000 census. History The Willows was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Geography Cavetown is loc ...

. John Bishop was civil engineer and the family was prominent in the community. As of 1888, Alice B. Bishop purchased the deed of 66 South Main Street, Smithsburg, for $1650. The house, now known as the Emily Clayton Bishop house, is now a Maryland State historic site.

Education

Dance of Youth in the Spring Emily Clayton Bishop 1917

Emily Clayton Bishop attended public schools before going to St. Mary's Female Seminary, in

St. Mary's City, Maryland St. Mary's City (also known as Historic St. Mary's City) is a former colonial town that was Maryland's first European settlement and capital. It is now a large, state-run historic area, which includes a reconstruction of the original colonial set ...

. She graduated in 1890. She then attended the Maryland Institute of Art and Design in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

from 1901 to 1904. In addition

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

awarded her a teacher's certificate in Art Interpretation and criticism in 1903. She received a scholarship to attend the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. There she studied from 1904 to 1909 with

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

. She was regarded as one of PAFA's most promising students, receiving the Packard Prize (1904), the George B. McClellan Anatomy Prize (1905), Honorable Mention in the Edmund Stewardson Competition (1906, 1907, 1910), and the Composition Prize for Sculpture. During this time, she became a friend of

Beatrice Fenton Beatrice Fenton (July 12, 1887February 11, 1983) was an American sculptor and educator born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known for her whimsical fountains. Her work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition at th ...

and Marjorie Martinet. She was one of an "exuberant coterie of women artists" who convinced sculpture instructor

Charles Grafly Charles Allan Grafly, Jr. (December 3, 1862May 5, 1929) was an American sculptor, and teacher. Instructor of Sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years, his students included Paul Manship, Albin Polasek, and Walker Hanc ...

to add portrait and composition classes to the sculpture program. Bishop was able to travel and study in England, Holland, Italy, and Greece with the support of the

Cresson Traveling Scholarship The Cresson Traveling Scholarship, also known as the William Emlen Cresson Memorial Traveling Scholarship, is a two-year scholarship for foreign travel and/or study awarded annually to art students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Phi ...

(1907-1908). She was able to study in Paris with

Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

. She graduated from the Academy and established a studio in Philadelphia. Her works appeared in exhibitions at the Pennsylvania Academy (1907, 1910, 1911, 1912), the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and list of largest art museums, largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visit ...

, and the Baltimore Exhibition of the

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

Death

'Classicism and the Renaissance' by Emily Clayton Bishop, 1907

Bishop died Friday, March 1, 1912 and was buried in Smithsburg Cemetery,

Smithsburg, Maryland Smithsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,975 at the 2010 census. Smithsburg is close to the former Fort Ritchie army base and just west of the presidential retreat Camp David. History Smithsburg, ...

. Her cause of death was given in her obituary as "heart disease", but it has been suggested that she died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. Her obituary appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', where she was referred to as "one of the most promising of America's younger sculptors." At the time of her death, the

Philadelphia Academy of Music The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its location is between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of ...

was installing memorial tablet that Bishop had completed in honor of the director of the Orpheus Club. Three more of her works were on display at PAFA's annual exhibition: "Woman Knitting", "Portrate of Browning", and "John". After her death, the Pennsylvania Academy held a memorial exhibit of twenty of her bronze sculptures. Sixteen of her works were shown in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

at the 1915

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely se ...

. She was included in a show of fifty leading women sculptors at

The Plastic Club The Plastic Club is an arts organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1897 for women only, the Plastic Club is one of the oldest art clubs in the United States. It is located on the 200 block of Camac Street, the "Little Street ...

in Philadelphia in 1917, where her bas-relief "Dance of Youth in the Spring" was displayed. Her friend sculptor Beatrice Fenton donated a collection of Bishop's works to the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

and

National Museum of American Art The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

. Her works are in museum collections in the United States, including the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The Smithsburg Historical Society in Smithsburg, Maryland holds a substantial collection of her works. In 1983 a centennial exhibition of her work was held at the

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) is an art museum located in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The building is located off Park Circle and serves as a centerpiece in Hagerstown City Park. The museum was donated in 1929, by Mr. and ...

. Her friend and fellow artist Beatrice Fenton preserved many of Bishop's papers and works. A retrospective exhibit of 62 pieces of Bishop's work was held at the Renfrew Museum in

Waynesboro, Pennsylvania Waynesboro is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the southern border of the state. Waynesboro is in the Cumberland Valley between Hagerstown, Maryland, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of Chambersburg, PA Micropolitan Stat ...

in 2010. Bishop was included in PAFA's exhibition "Modern Women at PAFA: From Cassatt to O'Keeffe" in 2013. The

includes at least four works by Bishop in its collection.

References

External links

Artworks by Emily Clayton Bishop
PAFA
Artworks by Emily Clayton Bishop

*
Portrait of Emily Clayton Bishop
by

, 1907, PAFA {{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Emily Clayton 1883 births 1912 deaths American women artists 20th-century American sculptors Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni People from Washington County, Maryland Sculptors from Maryland