Jessie Lipscomb, later Jessie 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 sculptor

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

and two fellow alumni from the Royal College of Art: Amy Singer and Emily Fawcett.

Early life and education

Jessie Lipscomb was born in

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, Lincolnshire, England in 1861, the only child of Sidney Lipscomb, a colliery agent and Harriet Arnold, a barmaid. In 1875, the family moved to

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. She attended the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

which was at that time called the

National Art Training School The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the Unit ...

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

. She won two prizes from the school: the Queen's Prize in 1882 and a national silver medal in 1883. Lipscomb visited Paris with a view to continuing her education. Her instructors,

Alphonse Legros Alphonse Legros (8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist. He moved to London in 1863 and later took British citizenship. He was important as a teacher in the British etching rev ...

and

Édouard Lantéri Édouard Lantéri (31 October 1848 – 22 December 1917) was a French-born British sculptor and medallist whose romantic French style of sculpting was seen as influential among exponents of New Sculpture. His name is also frequently spelle ...

, encouraged Lipscomb to further her studies in Paris where the schooling was more equitable for female students. Two previous graduates of the ''National Art Training School'' - Amy Singer and Emily Fawcett - were already living in Paris, and sharing a studio with the young French sculptor

. 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 join

Auguste 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 ...

's all-male atelier to sculpt portions of a major commissioned work: ''

The Burghers of Calais ''The Burghers of Calais'' (french: Les Bourgeois de Calais) is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in twelve original castings and numerous copies. It commemorates an event during the Hundred Years' War, when Calais, a French port on the English Cha ...

.'' Lipscomb was a gifted modeler, excelling in sculpting drapery. Lipscomb and Claudel spent the summer of 1886, from May through September, in Peterborough with Jessie's family. At this time Jessie was exhibiting a terra-cotta bust ''Day Dreams'' (1886) in the Royal Academy, and in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. 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. After the summer in England, both women returned to Paris and continued to work with Rodin for a time before their paths diverged. The friendship between Lipscomb and Claudel deteriorated and the latter claimed never to want to see Lipscomb again. However, Lipscomb visited Claudel in 1929, where Claudel was confined in the Montdevergues Asylum. The photograph taken during this visit by Lipscomb's husband is considered to be one of the last known images of Claudel.

Sculpture

From 1885 - 1887 Lipscomb exhibited her artwork annually in exhibitions at both the Royal Academy of Arts and

Nottingham Castle Museum Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortress and ...

. She exhibited a terra-cotta piece entitled ''Sans Souci'', a plaster portrait of

, and a bust of the Italian model ''Giganti'' in 1887.

Personal life

Lipscomb married William Elborne on 26 December 1887 and they settled in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. The couple had four children together and died within eight days of each other in 1952.

In popular culture

Maggie Ritchie's 2015 novel ''Paris Kiss'' focuses on the relationship between Jessie Lipscomb and Camille Claudel, and offers a highly fictionalized version of Claudel and Rodin's affair.

References

External links

Some of her sculptures

A photograph
taken by her of

and his ''

The Gates of Hell ''The Gates of Hell'' (french: La Porte de l'Enfer) is a monumental bronze sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the ''Inferno'', the first section of Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy''. It stands at 6 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lipscomb, Jessie 1861 births 1952 deaths 19th-century British sculptors 19th-century English women artists 20th-century British sculptors 20th-century English women artists Alumni of the Royal College of Art English women sculptors People from Grantham People from Peterborough