Allie Tennant
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Allie Victoria Tennant (1892 or 1898—1971) was an American sculptor born in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, the daughter of Thomas Richard and Allie Virginia Brown Tennant. She worked primarily out of
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, where her most famous work ''Tejas Warrior'' was produced for the
Hall of State The Hall of State (originally the State of Texas Building) is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco, Art Deco architecture in the state. ...
at the
Texas Centennial Exposition The Texas Centennial Exposition was a world's fair presented from June 6 to November 29, 1936, at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. A celebration of the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, it also celebrated Texas and Western ...
. Tennant grew up in an artistic household. Her father was a descendant of British painter John Frederick Tennant and he painted with watercolor and oils in his free time. Tennant's talent as an artist and sculptor emerged at a young age. Even as a toddler, she played with clay and other malleable materials and sculpted them into models. When she was a teenager, Tennant and her family moved to
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, Texas. Here, she attended Dallas High School and decided to become a professional sculptor during her high school years. She then started studying art with her first instructor, a local painter and teacher Vivian Louise Aunspaugh (1869-1960). As a high school student, Tennant enrolled in classes that were provided by the Texas Art League, where she studied with Gaetano Bianchi, the first sculptor to teach her, and Kunz Meyer Waldeck, an internationally known artist from Germany. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Aunspaugh School of Art. In 1927, she moved to New York City, where she studied at the
Art Students League 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 ...
with
Edward McCartan Edward Francis McCartan (August 16, 1879 – September 20, 1947) was an American sculptor, best known for his decorative bronzes done in an elegant style popular in the 1920s. Life Born in Albany, New York, he studied at the Pratt Institute, ...
and
George Bridgman George Brant Bridgman (November 5, 1864 – December 16, 1943) was a Canadian-American Painting, painter, writer, and teacher in the fields of anatomy and figure drawing. Bridgman taught anatomy for artists at the Art Students League of New Yor ...
. In 1930, she spent a year touring Europe, where she stayed several years and visited museums in England, France, and Italy. She then returned to New York to study with Eugene Steinhof. Throughout her life, Tennant played an important role in the cultural development of the arts in Dallas and also Texas and developed the modern arts community by acting as a culture-bearer for over 60 years. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
initiated the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
. One of its programs was the Treasury Department
Section of Painting and Sculpture Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section s ...
, under which the federal government commissioned artists to create art for a variety of public buildings, often post offices. Tennant created a frieze of three plaster reliefs — ''Cattle, Oil, Wheat'' (1940) — for the U.S. post office in
Electra, Texas Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,292 at the 2020 census., down from 2,791 in 2010. Electra claims the title of Pump Jack Capital of ...
. Tennant showed at the
1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...
American art exhibition. Tennant 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 ...
and the Texas Fine Arts Association (now known as Arthouse at The Jones Center). She also taught art at the Art Institute of Dallas and at adult evening education. She died on December 19, 1971, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Dallas.


Work

* ''Mrs. George K. Meyer'' (ca. 1935), and ''Negro Head'' (1933),
Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the A ...
(1933) * ''Tejas Warrior'',
Hall of State The Hall of State (originally the State of Texas Building) is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco, Art Deco architecture in the state. ...
, Dallas, Texas (1936) * ''Tejas Warrior'',
Brookgreen Gardens Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens featuring American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zo ...
,
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, a smaller version of the Dallas statue :The statue underwent extensive restoration in 1990 under Dallas' "Adopt-a-Monument program. * Sea Horse Panels, Dallas Aquarium, 1936 * José Antonio Navarro Monument, Navarro County Courthouse,
Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...
, (1938) * James Butler Bonham, Fannin County Courthouse,
Bonham, Texas Bonham is a city and is the county seat of Fannin County, Texas, United States. Its population was 10,408 at the 2020 census. James Bonham (the city's namesake) sought the aid of James Fannin (the county's namesake) at the Battle of the Alamo. B ...
(1936) * ''Cattle, Oil, Wheat'', United States Post Office,
Electra, Texas Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,292 at the 2020 census., down from 2,791 in 2010. Electra claims the title of Pump Jack Capital of ...
(1940) She also has works at:Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986 p. 927 *
Hockaday School The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day school for girls Pre-K through 12 located in Dallas, Texas, United States. The Hockaday School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. Histo ...
, Dallas * Southwest Medical College, Dallas * Woman’s Club, Dallas *
McMurry University McMurry University is a Private university, private United Methodist Church, Methodist university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1923 and named after William Fletcher McMurry. The university offers forty-five majors in the ...
, Abilene


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Allie 1890s births 1971 deaths 20th-century American sculptors American modern sculptors National Sculpture Society members Art Students League of New York alumni Section of Painting and Sculpture artists Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Dallas, Texas) Artists from Dallas Sculptors from New York (state) Sculptors from Texas 20th-century American women sculptors