Alice Morgan Wright (October 10, 1881 – April 8, 1975) was an American sculptor,

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

, and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

activist. She was one of the first American artists to embrace Cubism and Futurism.

Early life and education

Wright came from an old

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

family. She was born October 10, 1881, in Albany, to Henry Romeyn Wright, a prosperous wholesale grocer, and Emma Jane Morgan. A student at St. Agnes School in Albany (now

Doane Stuart School The Doane Stuart School is a private college preparatory school in Rensselaer, New York. The school is coeducational and interfaith, and it educates students in PreKindergarten and from Grade 5 through Grade 12. History The Doane Stuart School (" ...

), Wright graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

in 1904 and continued her studies, in sculpture, at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

. The League awarded Wright both the Gutzon Borglum and the Augustus Saint-Gaudens prizes for her outstanding art work. Prohibited from attending life studies while attending the Art Students League, Wright watched local boxing and wrestling competitions in order to study the human form. In 1909, Wright went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she attended the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

and the

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

. In Paris she was a pupil of Injalbert and in New York she studied with

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculpture, sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Moun ...

, James Earle Fraser and

Hermon Atkins MacNeil Hermon Atkins MacNeil (February 27, 1866 – October 2, 1947) was an American sculptor born in Everett, Massachusetts. He is known for designing the ''Standing Liberty'' quarter, struck by the Mint from 1916 to 1930; and for sculpting ''Ju ...

Career

Artist

She exhibited domestically at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

and the Art Institute of Philadelphia, and her work appeared in Europe at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

(London) and the Salon des Beaux Arts (Paris). She was a member of the

National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors The National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA) is a United States organization, founded in 1889 to gain recognition for professional women fine artists in an era when that field was strongly male-oriented. It sponsors exhibitions, awards ...

as well as a founding member and director of the

Society of Independent Artists Society of Independent Artists was an association of American artists founded in 1916 and based in New York. Background Based on the French Société des Artistes Indépendants, the goal of the society was to hold annual exhibitions by avant-gard ...

.Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein, ''American Women Sculptors'' (1990), p. 221.
"The Fist,"
perhaps her best known sculpture, shows the modernist influence of

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 u ...

; other works, like "Medea" (1920), integrated avant-garde Cubist and even Futurist elements. It is likely influenced by the struggle for women's voting rights. Wright also produced more conventional pieces throughout her career. Wright worked slowly and often moved back and forth between a conservative and a more experimental style. Wright was a member 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 member ...

. She exhibited two pieces, ''Wind Figure,'' a stone carving and ''Young Faun'', a bronze statuette, at the Societies 1923 exhibition. Her very abstracted work ''Medea'' was shown at the 1929 exhibition. Betsy Fahlman curated a retrospective exhibit of Wright's work in 1978 at the

Albany Institute of History & Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Huds ...

titled ''Sculpture and Suffrage: The Art and Life of Alice Morgan Wright (1881–1975)''. By 1945, Wright had abandoned art in favor of her animal rights activism.

Suffragist

Wright was also an ardent suffragist. She worked for the Collegiate Equal Suffrage League. While studying art in Europe, Wright involved herself in both the British and French suffrage movements; notably, Wright organized a meeting in Paris where English suffragist

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (; Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the women's suffrage, right to vote in United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

spoke. Wright also arranged for Pankhurst to make an appearance in Albany during her tour of the United States in 1911. With the national

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...

, she participated in militant demonstrations in England. She was incarcerated for two months in

Holloway Prison HM Prison Holloway was a British prison security categories, closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. With other suffragettes, she protested her treatment by participating in a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. Wright used uneaten food to create models of her fellow prisoners, using

sugar cube Sugar cubes are white sugar granules pressed into small cubes measuring approximately 1 teaspoon each. They are usually used for sweetening drinks such as tea and coffee. They were invented in the early 19th century in response to the difficulti ...

s as bases, rather than let it go to waste. She and over 60 other prisoners embroidered their signature on

The Suffragette Handkerchief The Suffragette Handkerchief is a handkerchief displayed at The Priest House, West Hoathly in West Sussex, England. It has sixty-six embroidered signatures and two sets of initials, mostly of women imprisoned in HMP Holloway for their part in th ...

under the noses of the prison guards. Wright also used smuggled

plasteline Modelling clay or modelling compound is any of a group of malleable substances used in building and sculpting. The material compositions and production processes vary considerably. Ceramic clay Ceramic clays are water-based substances made f ...

to model a portrait bust of her fellow prisoner, Pankhurst. Wright continued her suffrage activism after her return to the United States in 1914. She was Recording Secretary of the Woman's Suffrage Party of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

during the winning campaign. Wright only returned to sculpture full-time after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1921, she helped to create the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

of New York State.

Animal welfare

Wright was an anti-vivisectionist and advocated the humane treatment of animals. In 1920, Wright returned to Albany and gradually turned away from art to focus on animal rights. Wright was a benefactress to the National Humane Education Society; in 1950, with Wright's help, the NHES established its first animal care facility, called the Peace Plantation Animal Sanctuary. Wright also wrote the organization's 12 Guiding Principles, which is still in use. In 1957, Wright lobbied President

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

against using animals in medical testing and scientific research; in 1958, Congress passed the

Humane Slaughter Act The Humane Slaughter Act, or the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act (P.L. 85-765; 7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.), is a United States federal law designed to decrease suffering of livestock during slaughter. It was approved on August 27, 1958. ...

Personal life

Wright and Edith J. Goode were lifetime companions. Goode was born in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, and raised in Washington, D.C. Goode attended

Sidwell Friends Sidwell Friends School is a private, college preparatory, Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' (), alludin ...

, at that time a small Quaker School, then attended

(like Wright, graduating in 1904) where the two women met, and together they worked tirelessly for peace and justice. Goode was a member of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

and co-founder of the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP ...

. Goode also served as a president of

The Humane Society of the United States Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI), is a global nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scop ...

. Wright served as a delegate to the 1948

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

assembly in

. Around the same time, Wright also served as an organizer for United Nationals Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Wright was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

Death and legacy

Wright died in Albany at the age of 93, on April 8, 1975. Wright and Goode created the Alice Morgan Wright-Edith Goode Fund, an endowed trust that supports animal welfare organizations.

Selected works

*''California Hills'' (1910) ainting*''Emmeline Pankhurst'' (1912), Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, Washington, D.C. *''Faun'' (1915)

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; 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 one of the world's lar ...

, Washington, D.C. *''Dancing Figure'' (1915) *''The Fist'' (1921),

Albany Institute of History and Art Albany, derived from the Gaelic for Scotland, most commonly refers to: * Albany, New York, the capital of the State of New York and largest city of this name * Albany, Western Australia, a port city in the Great Southern region Albany may also ref ...

, Albany, N.Y. *''The Off-Shore Wind'' (1921) *''Medea,'' Albany Institute of History and Art *''The Trojan Women'' Albany Institute of History and Art *''Mme. Breshkovskya (Russian Revolutionary)'', Albany Institute of History and Art *''Edith J. Goode'', Albany Institute of History and Art

References

Attribution

Bibliography

* Albany Institute of History and Art. "200 Years of Collecting." 1998. * Fahlman, Betsy. "Sculpture and Suffrage: The Art and Life of Alice Morgan Wright (1881–1975) : Catalogue of the Exhibition at the Albany Institute of History and Art, April 21 – June 11, 1978." 1978. * "Goode and Wright...
Goode and Wright: Protecting Animals Was a Life and Death Decision : The Humane Society of the United States
* Prieto, Laura R. ''At Home in the Studio: The Professionalization of Women Artists in America''. 2001. * Rubinstein, Charlotte Streifer. ''American Women Sculptors''. 1990.

External links

*
Alice Morgan Wright papers
at the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...

, Smith College Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Alice Morgan 1881 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American sculptors Académie Colarossi alumni American animal welfare workers American suffragists Art Students League of New York alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni Sculptors from New York (state) Smith College alumni Society of Independent Artists 20th-century American women sculptors