Elsie Reasoner Ralph
Born 25 April 1878
Died 29 April 1913
Active: 1898 - 1913
Country of birth and death: United States
Sculptor, journalist, war correspondent
Born in Osborne, Kansas. She was the daughter of Venetia Emeret Shearer and Calvin Reasoner. Between 1898-1904 she worked as a journalist and war correspondent but took up modelling on her marriage to the illustrator, Lester Ralph (1904). In 1908 Reasoner went to Europe and studied in London, Paris, and Munich. The favourable response to her bust of H. Dillon Ripley exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1910 resulted in her securing a number of portrait commissions. She returned to the USA in 1913 but died suddenly soon afterwards whilst on a visit to her sister in Lloyd, Florida.
Reasoner's work was the subject of an article in the Philadelphia North American in 1911: "Mrs. Lester Ralph, the talented American sculptor now working in her own studio in London, has sold a sculptured sun dial to Otto H. Khun of the banking firm of Khun, Loeb & Co. for $2,650. He saw it in clay and was so favorably impressed with the beauty and originality of the design that he made the offer before it left the studio. Mrs. Ralph has received several orders for busts, including one from J.J. Shannon, the portrait painter, and she is making rapid progress as a sculptor. Half a dozen of her completed works will be exhibited at the next Academy and the International Society show." Philadelphia North American, 19 January 1911.
This entry includes information submitted by Von Rothenberger, Director, Osborne County (Kansas) Hall of Fame Museum & Archives, 410 West 1st Street, Lucas KS 67648 USA
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
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Locations
Address Leighton Lodge Studio Edwardes Square London | View on map
1911 (Circa)
Not clear of she was occupying the lodge or studio
Studio located at 1 Clifton Hill Studios St. John's Wood London NW | View on map
1910 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Tenth Annual Exhibition of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers (London), 1910
'Sketch Portrait'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1910 - 1911
Exhibited twice, two works ('H. Dillon Ripley Esq.,' bust, bronze, cat. no. 1750 in 1910 and 'The Dance of Life' relief, cat. no. 1737 in 1911)
Citing this record
'Elsie Reasoner Ralph', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1204584769, accessed 19 Jun 2013]
