Julia Bracken Wendt

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 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 and, with her husband, was instrumental in the founding of the California Art Club in 1909, which was developed on the premise of allowing women and sculptors into the membership. In 1912, the Wendts moved to Laguna Beach and subsequently built their home/art studio. Wendt was a member of the National Sculpture Society and exhibited and was featured in both the 1923 and 1929 Exhibitions and the resulting catalogues. She died in Laguna Beach on June 22, 1942.

Julia Bracken Wendt studied at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The field of work recorded is art of sculpture. Residence is recorded at Galena and Los Angeles. Work by Julia Bracken Wendt is recorded in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago.

• Name — Julia Bracken Wendt • Birth Name — Julia Bracken • Born — 1870 • Birthplace — Apple River, Illinois, United States • Died — 1942 • Place of death — Laguna Beach, California, United States • Education — Art Institute of Chicago • Field — Sculpture • Employer — Otis College of Art and Design • Works — Illinois Welcoming the Nations (1893) and The Three Graces: History, Science and Art (1914) • Awards — Gold medal for sculpture at the 1915 San Diego Exposition

Her work can be found in: • Chicago Historical Society • Civil War Monument, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Tennessee • Laguna Art Museum • Harvard University Portrait Collection • Old Los Angeles City Hall (now located in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) • Lincoln Park, Los Angeles, California • as well as in numerous private collections