Enid in Studio

Enid worked in a large glass-roofed sculpture studio at Chicago’s Jackson Park fairgrounds. There were several dozen others, including six young ladies that worked from early morning to six in the evening preparing decorations that would accent the buildings of Chicago’s “White City.” Sculptor Lorado Taft supervised the studio and was most impressed with the women.  As the fair’s opening day quickly approached Taft realized he would not have time to complete the decorations in time. Discovering that all the male sculptors he wanted were already employed he asked if he could employee women sculptors, the director said, “I don’t care if you hire white rabbits” if the work gets done. Thus, Enid along with nine other women sculptors, including Janet Scudder from Terre Haute, IN, came to the aid of Taft and became known as the White Rabbits. This image is of Enid posing front and center in front of one of the caryatids she made for the Women’s Building.

Known as Life Drawing classes, drawing from nude models were very controversial. The first official life drawing classes at the school appeared in about 1877 for male students only. Life classes for women didn’t come around until 1887, and they were separated from men. It was deemed too distracting for either sex to be in the same session.

Enid Bland Yandell and Baroness Geysa Hortense de Braunecker with Mary Crosby Hunt bas relief [1898] posing in studio. The current location of this bas relief is unknown.

Enid Bland Yandell's painting class at Frederick MacMonnies' studio in Paris. Enid stands behind MacMonnies staring at the camera. Frederick William MacMonnies, an American, was one of the first sculptors to accept female students.