Mary Hortense Webster


Mary Hortense Webster was mainly known as a sculptor. She also had instruction as a painter at the Art Academy of Cincinnati with Barnhorn and Nowattny, the Acadèmie Julian in Paris, Verlet, Waldmann, Paris, with George Hitchcock in Holland, and Charles Hawthorne in Provincetown. Afterwards, she decided to focus on sculpture as her specialty. Webster trained under the distinguished American portrait sculptor Lorado Taft at the Art Institute of Chicago in his Midway studios, the city in which she eventually settled. She was a native to Oberlin, Ohio and one of the early members of the Women's Art Club of Cleveland.
She also took classes at Oberlin College for drawing and painting.
She was best known for painting and sculpture. Within these mediums, her main subjects were portraits, busts, and sculptures. She was most active in Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Ohio. She also received training in Chicago, Cincinnati, Holland, Paris and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Under Taft, she also worked as his assistant and secretary at his Midway Studios in Chicago. She was also a teacher in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, Owatonna, Minnesota, and was Head of the Art Department in Portland Art Museum Schools.

Works

Sculpture of Horace Mann
With her instructor, Taft, she created a sculpture of the well known American politician.
Portrait of Mrs. Forest Bidwell
She was also mentioned in the Magazine in Art for upholding high standards in 1921.

Exhibitions and collections

A list of her exhibitions and collections can be found on the Illinois :
In the gallery of Cordon in 1965, her sculpture had an honored place in the exhibition of work of member artists with an "In Memorium" art tea. She was the president of the Cordon at the time of her death in January. The guest speaker at this event was Harold Haydon who was associate professor of art at the University of Chicago and director of the Midway studios.
She lived to be 83.