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Selma Hortense Burke

Art
Educator
AME
Nursing
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Brief

     Burke (1900-1955) was a sculptor, educator, art school founder, and fixture in the Harlem Renaissance. Her bas relief image of President Franklin Roosevelt  is permanently displayed at the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. and is the disputed inspiration for the American dime.

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Collections & Letters

1.  Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, The Selma Burke Bequest

The collection includes personal papers and a significant collection of artworks—including twelve bronze, marble, and wooden sculptures and plaster studies for her design of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait.

2. Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, John W. Mosley Photograph Collection

Image is of Selma Burke and Humbert Howard (third from left), and others observing a Burke sculpture at the Pyramid Club.

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Attributions
Attributions
Attributions
Birth
December 31, 1900, Mooresville, North Carolina
Death
August 29, 1995 (age 94), Newtown, Pennsylvania
Resting Place
Language(s)
Spouse(s)

Durant Woodward (m. 1928)

Herman Kobbe (m. 1949)

Partner(s)
Claude McKay
Relatives
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Alma Mater
Influenced
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Colleague(s)
Collaborator(s)
Children
Awards & Honors
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Occupation
Sculptor, Educator, School Founder
Certification(s)
License(s)
Education
Columbia University (M.A. Fine Arts, 1941), Slater Industrial and State Normal School (now Winston-Salem State University), Sarah Lawrence College
Organization(s)
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Notable Performances
Notable Moments
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Political Affiliation
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Website
*some sources say April 6, 1845

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