Walker Hancock papers, 1911-1995
Hancock, Walker Kirtland, 1901-1998
Sculptor
Overview
Collection Information
Size: 21.1 Linear feet
Summary: Correspondence with artists including Cecilia Beaux, Timothy Crouse, Carl Paul Jennewein, Henry Kreis, Paul Manship, Booth Tarkington, William Zorach, and others; project and commission files including the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial in Georgia among others; committee files; personal business records; writings; sketches; photographs and negatives of Hancock, works of art, and political figures taken in preparation of portrait busts; printed material; and an interview transcript relating to Hancock's career as a sculptor.
Biographical/Historical Note
Walker Hancock (1901-1998) was a sculptor from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Hancock was born in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. He studied at Washington University for one year before moving on to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he studied under Charles Grafly. He taught at PAFA from 1929 to 1967. During his career, he produced hundreds of realistic works, ranging from a 39 foot bronze angel in the 30th St. Station in Philadelphia, to a bust of former President Geroge H.W. Bush in the Capitol, to a monumental statue of James Madison in the Library of Congress, to a Christ figure in the central altar in the National Cathedral in Washington. Hancock first visited Gloucester in 1921, built a studio there, and later moved there permanently. He died at home at age 97.
Provenance
Donated 1974-1996 by Walker Hancock and in 2017 by Deane French Hancock, Hancock's daughter and executor.
How to Use This Collection
Alternative Forms Available
35mm microfilm reels 3946, 1718-1726, 1818 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Restrictions on Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
How to Cite This Collection
Walker Hancock papers, 1911-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Tags
- Hancock, Walker Kirtland, 1901-1998
- Beaux, Cecilia
- Crouse, Timothy
- Jennewein, Carl Paul
- Kreis, Henry
- Manship, Paul
- Tarkington, Booth
- Zorach, William
- Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association
- Stone Mountain Memorial
- Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States
- Interviews