bryant baker gallery & Artist Studio
Originally from England, Bryant Baker moved to America in 1915 and became a U.S. citizen in 1923. During his career, he created over 100 statues and busts, though his heroic bronze monument of the Pioneer Woman is his best known and loved. Visit the Bryant Baker Gallery and Artist Studio on the Marland Estate to learn more about this artist and his work.
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View the Discover Oklahoma feature that aired Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. on KFOR News Channel 4 in Oklahoma City to learn more about Bryant Baker and the Gallery & Artist Studio at the Marland Estate. More information about the Pioneer Woman Statue can be found at the Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue website.
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the pioneer woman statue
In 1927, Marland had the idea that a statue should be erected to honor the spirit of the women who played such a significant role in the settling of this part of the country. He hired 12 artists to submit their own design, for which each was paid $10,000. The twelve miniature 3-foot statues toured the country by train, traveling to 12 different cities in six months. The statues were viewed by 750,000 people who cast votes for their favorite. The overwhelming favorite was the monument of a confident woman and her young son, created by sculptor Bryant Baker of New York. The statue stands 17 feet high and weighs 12,000 pounds. It is mounted on a pyramid limestone base, making the total height over 30 feet. When the statue was unveiled on April 22, 1930, more than 40,000 people gathered to witness the unveiling and hear famous Oklahoma humorist, Will Rogers. Marland presented the Pioneer Woman Statue and the land surrounding it to the State of Oklahoma and her people. The Pioneer Woman Statue stands at Monument Circle, one block from the Marland Mansion. Replicas of the twelve models are now featured on the lower level of the mansion on the Carl and Carolyn Renfro gallery.
Lydie and E.W. Marland admire the Pioneer Woman Statue
prior to its installation on the stone base |
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