American Sculptor Grace Talbot created mostly mythologic figures in the Art Deco style. Her mother was a talented painter in her own right exhibiting for instance in the Paris Salon. At age 3 and 11, respectively, she lost both of her parents and lived with an aunt, who told her stories of Greek gods and heroes. At 14 she decided to become a sculptor. She began study with Harriet Frishmuth, won the Avery Prize for artists under 30 in 1921, and was one of the youngest members of the National Sculptures Society.
During travels through the Balkan Peninsula, Morocco and particularly France, Talbot was inspired to create garden pieces. For human figures she found her inspiration in dance, music, and poetry, and her own dog aroused her interest in sculpturing animals. She was honored by the Architectural League and the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. In 1925 Talbot was awarded the Joan of Arc Medal for her statue of a Huntress Maid, the statue of a nude girl standing on circular base, holding a javelin high over her head and a shield on her left arm. This work was also submitted to the 1932 Los Angeles Art Competitions in the Sculpture Category.
United States