Leonard Wells Volk
| Leonard Volk | |
|---|---|
Memorial of Leonard Volk in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
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| Born |
November 7, 1828 Wellstown (now Wells), Hamilton County, New York |
| Died | August 19, 1895 (aged 66) Polk, Wisconsin |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Sculpting |
Leonard Wells Volk (November 7, 1828 – August 19, 1895) was an American sculptor. He is notable for making one of only two life masks of United States President Abraham Lincoln. In 1867 he helped establish the Chicago Academy of Design and served as its president until 1878. He made several large monumental sculptures, including the tomb of the politician Stephen A. Douglas, and statues of American Civil War figures.
Volk was born at Wellstown (now Wells), Hamilton County, New York to Garrett and Elizabeth (Gesner) Volk. He first followed the trade of a marble cutter with his father in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where the family moved.
Before 1855 Volk married Emily Clarissa King Barlow, daughter of Honor (Douglas) and Dr. Jonathan King Barlow of Bethany, New York. A maternal cousin of hers was Stephen A. Douglas, a nationally known politician who ran against Abraham Lincoln for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 1860.
Their son Stephen A. Douglas Volk (1856–1935) as an adult became notable as a figure and portrait painter. He studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme in Paris. Later he helped establish the Minneapolis School of Design.
In 1848 Volk moved west and opened an artist's studio in St Louis, Missouri. From 1855-1857, Stephen A. Douglas, his wife's cousin, supported the family's travel to Rome so that Volk could pursue additional study.
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