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The Star, 1918, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth

The Star

The Star, 1918, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (American, 1880–1980), Bronze, Bequest of Frederick T. and Valerie K. L. Bonham, 1958.5.119.

Known for her elegant figurative sculptures, particularly of women, Frishmuth was one of the groundbreaking female sculptors of the early 1900s. Her characteristic interest in the female form is on display here: face upturned, the lithe figure arches her back and reaches into the sky, as if to the stars, with fingers gracefully splayed.

The McClung Museum has several of Frishmuth’s works in our collections. Female artists were often discouraged from sculpting full-scale, and encouraged to make diminutive, affordable “tabletop” sculptures like this one. However, The Star was so successful, that she made an enlarged version in 1923.