Beatrice Fenton

Clara Beatrice Fenton was a well-known figurative sculptor and portraitist who worked mainly with water colors. As a sculptor, she created bronze garden sculptures, fountains and smaller groups of animals for outdoor areas. From 1904-12 she studied at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, both in her hometown in Philadelphia. Scholarships allowed her longer study trips to Europe.

From 1942 Fenton taught for 11 years at the Moore Institute of Art, Science and Industry, again in Philadelphia. Since 1927, she has also been a member of the National Sculpture Society. In an obituary she was described as “one of the last survivors of the Victorian era in Philadelphia”. For the Seaweed Fountain she received the George D. Widener Memorial gold medal in 1922.