Julia Bracken Wendt

Who was Julia Bracken Wendt?

Julia Bracken Wendt, a notable American sculptor, was born in Apple River, Illinois, the twelfth of thirteen children in an Irish Catholic family. Unsupported at home following the death of her mother when she was nine years old, she ran away from home at thirteen. By sixteen she was working as a domestic servant for a woman who recognized her talent and drive and paid to enroll her in the Chicago Art Institute. There she studies with Lorado Taft and by 1887 she had advanced to become his studio and teaching assistant. In 1893, during the Columbian Exposition she was one of several women sculptors nicknamed the White Rabbits who helped produce some of the architectural sculpture that graced the exposition buildings. Aside from that she was awarded a commission to produce Illinois Welcoming the Nations for the Fair. The work was later cast in bronze and unveiled at the Illinois State Capitol, at which time Governor Altgeld was the main speaker.

After successfully pursuing her career for a number of years in 1906 she married painter William Wendt and moved to Los Angeles, California where she continued her success. In California she taught at the Otis Art Institute.