Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) was an American art collector and philanthropist. She collected medieval sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. She is best known for her gifts to the city of Chicago, specifically the

Buckingham Fountain Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago Landmark in the center of Grant Park, between Queen's Landing and Ida B. Wells Drive. Dedicated in 1927 and donated to the city by philanthropist Kate S. Buckingham, it is one of the largest fountains in the ...

in Grant Park, a statue honoring

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

, and her family's art collection to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

Life

Buckingham was born in

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...

, in a wealthy family on August 3, 1858. She was the daughter of Ebenezer Buckingham and Lucy Sturges Buckingham. She survived her brother, Clarence, who died in 1913 and her sister, Lucy Maud, who died in 1920. After the death of her siblings Buckingham became the sole heir of the family

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

fortune. This gave her the means to continue collecting art, and to fund public arts projects.

The Buckingham siblings and the Art Institute of Chicago

Clarence Buckingham had been a governing member and a trustee of the Art Institute. Kate was influenced by his association with the institution. After Lucy Maud's death, Kate donated Lucy Maud's collection of over 400 Chinese ritual bronzes. In 1924 Kate donated her own collection of medieval sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts and in 1925 she donated Clarence's collection of thousands of Japanese prints. The Art Institute recognizes the importance of these donations and endowments by naming their planned giving program the Buckingham Society.

Buckingham and public art

In 1924 Buckingham was inspired by the fountains of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

to commission a fountain in Grant Park to honor her brother Clarence. This was called

, built at a cost of $750,000, and was dedicated on August 26, 1927. She also commissioned the Alexander Hamilton monument in Lincoln Park in Chicago. BuckinghamFountain ChicagoIL.jpg, Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park Miss Kate Buckingham presented the world's largest fountain to the city of Chicago in honor of her... (NBY 415917).jpg, Aerial view of Buckingham Fountain Buckinghamfountain3g05158u.jpg, WPA poster "Buckingham Fountain on Chicago's lake front, world's largest and most beautiful illuminated fountain" Alexander Hamilton Lincoln Park.JPG, Alexander Hamilton monument in Lincoln Park

Personal life

Buckingham never married. She shunned attention and requested that her name be removed from the ''

Social Register The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, it ...

''. All the donations she made to the Art Institute of Chicago were made in the name of her departed siblings. Buckingham died on December 14, 1937, in Chicago. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville, Ohio.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Kate Sturges 1858 births 1937 deaths American art collectors People from Chicago

Kate Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...