Arthur Putnam (September 6, 1873 – May 27, 1930) was an American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists. Although the work may be in any genre ...

who was recognized for his

bronze sculptures Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

of wild animals. Some of his artworks are public monuments. He was a well-known figure, both statewide and nationally, during the time he lived in California. An online facsimile of the entire text of Vol. 1 is posted on the Traditional Fine Arts Organization website (http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/10aa/10aa557.htm ). Putnam was regarded as an artistic genius in San Francisco and his life was chronicled in the San Francisco and

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

newspapers. He won a gold medal at the 1915 San Francisco

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

, officially known as the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

, and was responsible for large sculptural works that stand in San Francisco and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Putnam exhibited at the

Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was organized by thAssociation of American Painters and Sculptors It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of the many exhibition ...

in 1913, and his works were also exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Paris, and Rome.

Early life

Putnam was born on September 6, 1873, in

Waveland, Mississippi Waveland is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Waveland was incorporated in 1972. As of the 2010 ...

, whilst his family was traveling. He had an older brother, George, born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and a younger sister, Clara Elizabeth, born in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. Their father, Oramel Hinkley Putnam (1841–1880), was a civil engineer from Vermont and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Oramel Putnam was a railroad worker, and the family frequently relocated during the sculptor's early years. The Putnams eventually settled in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

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, for an extended time whilst Putnam was growing up; Putnam enjoyed drawing animals and modeling them in clay during this period. He experienced a serious accident as a child, falling forty feet out of a tree and receiving a head injury. In San Francisco he visited the

California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894 The California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, commonly referred to as the "Midwinter Exposition" or the "Midwinter Fair", was a World's Fair that officially operated from January 27 to July 5 in San Francisco, California, San Francis ...

, took Julie Heyneman’s drawing class at the local Art Students League, and had a short apprenticeship with the sculptor Rupert Schmid. In 1899 Putnam married his first wife, Grace Choate Storey, in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, and moved first to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, and then in 1900 to San Francisco. He worked frequently on commissions for architectural sculpture.

Scripps commission

Putnam received his first major commission from the newspaperman, E. W. Scripps (1854–1926), for the creation of five monumental figures from California history and lore. Putnam's brother, George, worked for Scripps' secretary, and this arrangement led to Putnam visiting the

Scripps Ranch Scripps Ranch is a community of San Diego, California, in the northeastern part of the city. It is located east of Interstate 15, north of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and west of Poway. Its ZIP Code is 92131. Scripps Ranch is an inland bed ...

at Miramar, where he was awarded the commission. Five works were initially planned for locations on the Scripps estate, and the designs were to be approved by Scripps.

San Francisco, 1900 to 1921

In San Francisco, Putnam was friends with artist and stained glass designer Bruce Porter (1865–1943) and the tonalist painter Gottardo Piazzoni (1872–1945); these friendships would help sustain the sculptor in the future. He shared a studio with sculptor Earl Cummings (1876–1936), and Piazzoni at 628 Montgomery Street (part of the

Montgomery Block The Montgomery Block, also known as Monkey Block and Halleck's Folly, was a historic building active from 1853 to 1959, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was San Francisco's first fireproof and earthquake resistant building. It came ...

, where a number of other artists and bohemians lived). Literary figures such as

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

(1876–1916) and

George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...

were known to visit the studio. Putnam worked with progressive painters like

Maynard Dixon Maynard Dixon (January 24, 1875 – November 11, 1946) was an American artist. He was known for his paintings, and his body of work focused on the American West. Dixon is considered one of the finest artists having dedicated most of their art to ...

(1875–1946), Matteo Sandona (1881–1964), and Xavier Martínez (1869–1943), all of whom left the

San Francisco Art Association The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was an organization that promoted California artists, held art exhibitions, published a periodical, and established the first art school west of Chicago. The SFAA – which, by 1961, completed a long sequen ...

and formed the California Society of Artists with Piazzoni and Putnam. The breakaway group organized a single exhibition that was held at Charles Peter Neilson's studio in 1902. In 1905 he traveled first to Rome and then to Paris, where he exhibited six sculptures at the Salon and

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 ...

praised him as “a master.” The streetlights at 680–1140 Sutter Street in the Lower Nob Hill district of San Francisco were designed by Putnam with "The Winning of the West" () bases, installed with architects D. H. Burnham & Co. With In 1910 he sold his ''Snarling Jaguar'' to New York’s

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. Neurological problems which began in 1909 led to the removal of a brain tumor in 1911. As a result of the operation, Putnam was paralyzed on his left side and his formal perceptions were impaired. He divorced his wife and in 1917 married Marion Pearson, a woman half his age. Constant demands for new work, especially from the art critic Laura Bride Powers who falsely claimed that Putnam had recovered his talents “by a miracle,” kept him out of the country until his death on May 27, 1930, at Ville d’Avray, France. Between 1900 and his permanent move to France in 1921 his sculptures were exhibited on more than 25 separate occasions in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, including venues at the Berkley and San Francisco Art Associations,

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California, and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of jour ...

, California Palace of Fine Arts, Vickery, Atkins & Torrey Gallery, and the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. The awards that he received outside of California include an Honorable Mention 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 ...

(1917), the Barnett Prize at New York’s

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

, the Widener Medal at the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

(1923), and the Avery Prize at the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...

(1924).

Panama–Pacific International Exposition

Putnam's contribution to the

, held February 4 to December 15, 1915, was a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

situated in a fountain designed by architect Arthur Brown, Jr. The mermaid was not representative of the sculptor’s earlier work; Putnam had been significantly hampered by a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

caused by the 1911 surgery. Included in the fair's exhibition galleries was a case containing a selection of Putnam’s bronze sculptures, whilst his bronze group, ''The Puma and the Snake'', was on exhibit in another gallery. These were cast in Rodin’s foundry outside of Paris. The bronze group, which was in the fair's competition for honors, generated positive reviews, with Neuhaus writing that "Arthur Putnam, whose case of animal sculpture is attracting most keen attention, a man for whom the word genius hardly seems too weighty, was awarded a gold medal."

Rediscovery of the ''Jack London Writing Tablet''

The ''Jack London Writing Tablet'', considered to be one of Putnam's most interesting, impressive, and personal works, had faded into obscurity after its presentation at the Children's Pet Exhibition of 1917 in San Francisco. The

California redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coast ...

sculpture was rediscovered by San Diego antique dealer Christian Chaffee in 1998. The history of the Jack London piece remains unclear, but it was likely created in 1903. Putnam and Jack London were good friends. The animal depicted in the sculpture has been identified as "Old Buck", the resilient dog from London's major work, ''

The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...

''. Research supported by

The Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United Stat ...

confirms that Jack London owned the piece in 1916.

Collections

*The Bohemian Club, San Francisco (Primitive Man) *Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, The M.H. De Young Museum *Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Palace of Legion of Honor (Spreckels Collection) *San Diego Museum of Fine Art, San Diego (Spreckels Collection) *Boston Museum of Art, Boston (The Death) *Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Snarling Tiger) *Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (Coyote) *Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon *Mills College, (The Puma and the Footprint) *National Museum of Wildlife Art (Puma in Combat with Serpent) *Oakland Museum of California, Oakland (Puma and Deer and others) *Crocker Museum, Sacramento, California (Twilight Venus Holding Staff) *Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College (Puma and Snakes)

Public monuments and sculpture groups

*The Indian, Presidio Park, San Diego (1905) *Sphinx, Golden Gate State Park, San Francisco (1907) *Nymphs and Satyrs, Plaster Reliefs, Hippodrome Theatre, San Francisco (1907) *Decorations, Bohemian Club, San Francisco (Willis Polk *The Padre, Presidio Park, San Diego (1908) *Winged Angels, Marble, First Unitarian Church, San Francisco (1908) *Decorations, Bank of California, San Francisco, 1908 (Walter Danforth Bliss, Architect) *Winning of the West, Light Standard Decoration, San Francisco (Willis Polk, Architect) (1908) *Sloat Monument, Monterey, California (1908) (Melvin Earl Cummings, architect) *Two Pumas, Berthold Monument, Monterey (1910) *The Ploughman, Scripps Institute of Oceanography (1910) *Lion, Marble, Haddon Hill Development, Oakland (1912) *Fr. Junipero Serra, Mission Dolores Garden, San Francisco *Decorative Ceiling, Flood Mansion, (Now Pacific Union Club), San Francisco *Bas-Relief Decorations, San Francisco Masonic Temple *Bas-Relief Decorations, San Francisco Examiner Building *Bas-Relief Decorations, San Francisco Call Building *Mountain Lions, Crocker National Bank, San Francisco (Willis Polk, Architect) *Bronzes, Stock Exchange Club, San Francisco Stock Exchange *Grizzly Bear Cubs, The Fountain, at the Circle, Berkeley, California (John Galen Howard, architect) (1911) *The Sea Nymph, Fountain, Panama–Pacific International Exposition (1915) *Bas-Reliefs, Lotta's Fountain, Kearny and Geary Streets, San Francisco (1916)

Memberships

*San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco *California Society of Artists, San Francisco (founding member, 1902) *Bohemian Club, San Francisco (1910) *

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 ...

, New York (1913)

Solo exhibitions

*1923 – Arthur Putnam, Palace of Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1930 – Arthur Putnam Memorial Exhibition, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1932 – Arthur Putnam, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1940 – Arthur Putnam, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1945 – Bronzes by Arthur Putnam, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1956 – Arthur Putnam Memorial Exhibition, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1958 – Arthur Putnam Memorial Exhibition, Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1978 – Arthur Putnam, Oakland Museum of Art *2004 – Arthur Putnam, San Francisco Airport Museum, San Francisco (Works from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)

Group exhibitions

*1900 – San Francisco Press Club, San Francisco *1901 – San Francisco Sketch Club, San Francisco *1902 – 1st Annual Exhibition, California Society of Artists, Charles Neilson Studio, San Francisco *1903 – Spring Exhibition, Mark Hopkins Institute *1906 – Rome International Exposition of Fine Arts *1907 – Salon de Societe National des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France *1908 – Special Exhibition of Contemporary Art, National Arts Club, New York (Lions) *1908 – Bronzes by Group of American Artists, Macbeth Galleries, New York *1909 – 104th Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Sitting Puma) *1909 – Architectural Exhibition, Detroit Architecture Club & Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts, Detroit Museum of Art *1909 – Bronzes by American Artists Exhibition, Macbeth Galleries, New York *1910 – Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York *1911 – Small Bronzes, Macbeth Galleries, New York *1912 – Inaugural Exhibition, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio (Puma) *1913 – International Exhibition of Modern Art (The Armory Show), New York *1914 – Paintings and Sculpture, Bohemian Club, San Francisco *1915 – Panama–Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco *1916 – Sam Francisco Art Association Annual Exhibition, San Francisco (The Ploughman) *1916 – Bohemian Club Exhibition, San Francisco *1916 – 29th Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute of Chicago (Standing Puma, Crouching Coyote, The Combat, Walking Bear, Indian and Puma Wrestling, Coyote and Snake, Listening Puma) *1919 – Toby Rosenthal Memorial. Exhibition, California Contemporary Artists, The Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco (Puma and Deer, Standing Puma, Buffalo Hunt, Skunked Wild Cat) *1919 – American Bronzes, Cleveland Museum of Art, December *1920 – Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Puma Lying on its Side) *1920 – Fourth Annual Exhibition, Greenwich Society of Artists, Greenwich, Connecticut *1921 – San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego *1923 – Exhibition of American Sculpture, National Sculpture Society *1930 – Palace of Legion of Honor, San Francisco *1935 – California-Pacific International Exposition, San Diego, California *1939 – Golden Gate International Exposition

Commercial gallery representation

*Hegesen & Marshall, San Francisco *Macbeth Galleries, New York *Vickery, Atkins & Torrey, San Francisco

Notes

Sources

Books and essays

*Eugen Neuhaus, ''The Art of the Exposition'', 1916 (complete account of the art sections of the 1915 world’s fair) *Rose S. Berry, T''he Dream City: Its Art and Symbolism'', No Published Listed, San Francisco, California, 1917 (Gives list of medalist at PPIE) *Arnold Genthe, ''As I Remember'', John Day, 1936, Page 67-68 (Account of the extent of the artist’s injury) *Oscar Lewis, ''Bay Window Bohemia: The Brilliant Artistic World of Gaslit San Francisco'', Doubleday and Company, 1956, Pages 233–237 (Account of Putnam’s life) *Harold Gilliam, ''The San Francisco Experience, The Wild Animals of Arthur Putnam'', Doubleday, 1982, Pages 40–42 (Chapter on Arthur Putnam’s life) *''100 Years of American Sculpture'', Oakland Museum, 1982 *Donald L. Stover, ''American Sculpture in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco'', 1982,( Pages 7, 41, 45) *Edan Milton Hughes, ''Artists in California: 1786–1940'', Hughes Publishing, 1986, Page 373 *Donald Hagerty, Desert Dreams: The Art and Life of Maynard Dixon, 1998 (Biography of Putnam's friend Maynard Dixon) *Patti Carr Black, ''Mississippi Artists, Mississippi Historical Society'', 1998 Page 185 *Nancy Dustin Wall Moure, ''California Art: 450 Years of Painting & Other Media'', Dustin Publications, 1998, Page 113 * Peter Booth Wiley, ''National Trust Guide – San Francisco Guide for Architecture and History Travelers'', John Wiley and Sons, 2000, Pages 157–158 (Notes on buildings and monuments that Putnam contributed to) *Chaffee, Christian, Arthur Putnam Timeline, Jack London Tablet Website *Jeffrey E. Morseburg, ''Arthur Putnam: The Trials, Tragedy and Triumphs of a California Sculptor'', Essay, 2010 (Extended Biographical Essay)

Newspaper articles

*''Art Notes'', New York Times, June 14, 1903 *''Notes of the Art Galleries'', New York Times, December 17, 1911 (Mentions “Puma” and “Snarling Jaguar” in Macbeth exhibition) *Laura Bride Powers, ''Arthur Putnam, Genius of the West Leaves for Paris Next Week,'' Oakland Tribune, May 22, 1921, Page 4

Periodicals

*Mark Hopkins Review of Art, Spring Exhibition, Mark Hopkins Institute of Art, San Francisco, California, 1903, Page 18 (Reproduction of Tiger and Snake) *J. Mayne, A Splendid Piece of Bronze Work, Granite Marble and Bronze, A. M. Hunt, Company, Boston, Massachusetts, Page 35 (Reproduction of Southern California Indian) *J. Mayne, The Typical American Indian in Bronze: Work of a Young California Sculptor, The Craftsman, Gustav Stickley, Editor and Publisher, Syracuse, New York, Volume 9, October 1905-March, 1906, Page 251 (Article on the commission for Mr. Scripps) *Lucy Baker Jerome, Animals Trapped in Plaster, Sunset Magazine, Southern Pacific Company, May, 1908 Pages 255–256 (Article on Putnam’s work) *William Macbeth, Art Notes, Macbeth Gallery, New York, New York, December 1909, Pages 615–616 (Mentions visiting Putnam in California and how he does his own foundry work.) *Arthur Putnam, Art and Decoration, May, 1915, Page 288 (Mentions the late arrival of his bronzes) *Michael Williams, Western Art at the Exposition, Sunset Magazine, Sunset Pacific Company, August, 1915, Page 318 (Survey of the Exposition that mentions Putnam prominently) *California Sculpture, California’s Magazine, California’s Magazine Company, San Francisco, Volume 11916, Page 42 (Extensive discussion of Putnam’s work) *American Magazine of Art, November, 1917, Page 280 (Review of exhibition with mention of excellence of Putnam’s work)

External links

Los Angeles County Museum of Art's PutnamFine Art Museums of San Francisco, Both and M.H. DeYoung and the Palace of Legion of Honor have PutnamsOakland Museum of California
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Arthur 1873 births 1930 deaths Sculptors from Mississippi People from Waveland, Mississippi Artists from Mississippi 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors National Sculpture Society members