Notable people · Artist · Sculptor
Eli Harvey
Eli Harvey was born in the Quaker community of Ogden in Clinton County and became a leading American sculptor of animals. His lions, elk and other bronzes are in more than two dozen museums.
At a glance
- Born
- 1860-09-23
- Died
- 1957-02-10
- Education
- Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
- Known as
- Artist, Sculptor
- Organizations
- Art Academy of Cincinnati
Life story
Eli Harvey was born in 1860 in Ogden, a Quaker community in Clinton County, to William P. and Nancy M. Harvey.
He studied painting and sculpture at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, then went to Paris in 1889 for more training. From 1897 he showed animal sculptures at the Paris salons.
He returned to the United States in 1900, committed to animal sculpture. His work appeared at the Pan-American Exposition (1900), the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904) and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915). He made lions for the New York Zoological Park, two lions for the Eaton family mausoleum in Toronto, and life-size elk for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
He died in Alhambra, California, in 1957. A Harvey home in Clinton County is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Timeline
- 1860-09-23: Born (Ogden, OH) source
- 1889: Moves to Paris to study (Paris) source
- 1897: Begins showing animal sculptures at Paris salons (Paris) source
- 1900: Returns to the U.S.; shows at the Pan-American Exposition (Buffalo, NY) source
- 1904: Shows at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis, MO) source
- 1915: Shows at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (San Francisco, CA) source
- 1927: Creates the bronze Bruno at Brown University (Providence, RI) source
- 1957-02-10: Dies (Alhambra, CA) source
What Eli is known for
- Sculpted architectural animals for the New York Zoological Park lion house
- Made the elk statues for Elks lodges across the country, 1904-1937
- Work shown at three world's fairs
- Lion house sculpture, New York Zoological Park
- Lions for the Eaton family mausoleum, Toronto
- Elk statues for the Elks (1904-1937)
- Bronze Bruno, Brown University (1927)
Honors and things named for them
- Work in 24+ museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Family
- father: William P. Harvey
- mother: Nancy M. Harvey
Ohio places
Where Eli Harvey was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Ogden, Clinton County ZIP 45177 · Clinton County
- Lived: Wilmington area, Clinton County ZIP 45177 · Clinton County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Eli Harvey birth and death; education; exhibitions; works; museum holdings; NRHP home