Silent legacies to artistic vision

Philadelphia is a city full of sculpture, but most people know little about the artists responsible for it. One artist whose work graces some of the city's parks and other prominent locations is Beatrice Fenton (1887-1983). Her

Pan with Sundial

(1938) sits on the University of Pennsylvania's campus near the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.

Fenton was born in Philadelphia to ophthalmologist Thomas H. Fenton and Lizzie Remak Fenton, the daughter of prominent lawyer Gustavus Remak. Through her father's aunt, Fenton met Thomas Eakins, one of America's most important artists. Eakins advised Fenton to sculpt in clay, and she was the central figure in his Coral Necklace.

Fenton was associated with "The Philadelphia Ten," a progressive group of female artists who created and exhibited works from 1917 to 1945. In the face of a male-dominated art establishment, the Philadelphia Ten challenged conventional expectations of women through a commitment to exhibiting and selling their work together. Fenton, like many of the other members, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, taught at the Moore College of Art, and kept a studio in Philadelphia.

Fenton is best known for her fountains, many of which still are located in public places and private gardens. Perhaps the most famous is Seaweed Fountain, which was completed in the early 1920s. Located in the Centennial Arboretum in Fairmount Park, the distinctive piece depicts the nude figure of a young girl astride the back of a turtle, her arms covered in seaweed. Fittingly, Fenton's grandfather, Gustavus Remak, helped plan the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.

The family tree and accomplishments of the Fentons - and many other Philadelphians - can be traced through papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.