Scope and Contents of the Collection
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Deming Andrews material
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Volk, Leonard Wells, 1828-1895. |
| Title: | Leonard Volk Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1845-1957 |
| Quantity: | 71 items. |
| Abstract: | Papers of the American sculptor. Born in Wellstown (now Wells), New York, Volk began work as a marble cutter in his father's shop at Pittsfield, Massachusetts then opened a studio in St. Louis in 1848. Funded by Stephen A. Douglas, a cousin of Volk's wife, he studied art in Rome, then returned to Chicago, where he founded the Chicago Academy of Design in 1867. Among Volk's works are the Douglas Monument (Chicago), the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Rochester, N.Y.), and statues of Abraham Lincolm, Stephen A. Douglas, and others. Collection includes correspondence to and from Volk family members; photographs of a bust of Volk by David Richards, works by Volk, friends and family, and the areas around Pittsfield, Massachusetts and Wells, New York; and material relating to the asembling of the collection by Edward Deming Andrews, Volk's grand-nephew. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 http://scrc.syr.edu |
Leonard Wells Volk (1828-1895) was an American sculptor. Born November 7, 1828 in Wellstown (now Wells), New York, he was one of twelve children of Garrett and Elizabeth Gesner Volk. At sixteen he began work as a marble cutter in his father's shop in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Four years later, in 1848, he went to St. Louis, Missouri, where he opened a studio and studied drawing and modeling independent of formal instruction. Stephen A. Douglas, a cousin of Volk's wife, became interested in his work, and in 1858 supplied funds for Volk to study art in Rome. Returning to the United States in 1867, Volk settled in Chicago, where he founded the Chicago Academy of Design and served as its president for eight years.
Among Volk's principal works are the Douglas Monument (Chicago), the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Rochester, N.Y.), and statues of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, General James G. Shields, Elihu B. Washburne, Zachariah Chandler, and David Davis. In 1860 he created a life mask of President Lincoln, one of only two ever made, as well as plaster casts of Lincoln's hands.
Volk was married to Emily Clarissa Barlow of Bethany, New York in 1852; they had a son, Douglas, who became a figure and portrait painter, and daughter.
The Leonard Volk Collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and material relating to the creation of the collection by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Deming Andrews.
Correspondence consists of original letters between Volk and his family. All are personal letters and refer to events and people of the time, such as President Lincoln, the Civil War, and the death of Stephen A. Douglas.
Photographs include those of a bust of Volk by David Richards, Volk's sculpture for the Stephen A. Douglas monument and his bust of Judge Knickerbocker, friends and relatives, and the areas around Pittsfield, Massachusetts and Wells, New York.
The Mr. and Mrs. Edward Deming Andrews material contains Leonard Volk biographical material and correspondence relating to their acquisition and donation of the collection.
There are no access restrictions on this material.
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Leonard Volk Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library
Gift of Mrs. Edward Deming Andrews, 1968.
Created by: [Summit record]
Date: 2001-01-01
Revision history: 8 Jul 2008 - converted to EAD (MRC)
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| Outgoing | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | 1858-1888 | ||||||||||
| Of others | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Abram Volk (brother) 1845-1869 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Carrie Volk 1880 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | E. Volk 1880 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Emily Volk (wife) 1858 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Unidentified 1881 | ||||||||||
| Photographs | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Bust of Volk 1884 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Sculpture by Volk | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Miscellaneous people and places 1885-1892 | ||||||||||
| Mr. and Mrs. Edward Deming Andrews material | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Correspondence 1957 | ||||||||||
