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Robert Peter Baker Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRR
Date: Oct 2006

Biographical History

Robert Peter Baker was born in London in 1886. Both his father and grandfather were sculptors, as was his brother Bryant. Baker studied at Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guild Technical Institute, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, becoming especially adept at Gothic church architectural sculpture; many restored English cathedrals show his skill, among them Beverly Minster and Selby Abbey, both in Yorkshire. He was also talented in drawing; in 1917 he collaborated with James H. Worthingon to produce an illustrated book of poems entitle Poetry, Prose, Paint and Pencil. After a number of visits to the United States he settled in Massachusetts, where he died in 1940.

Baker's sculpture was compared with both classical Greek work and with Rodin (Sculpture of Today, 1931). A 1948 biographical sketch says of him, "Baker's individual inclination was toward the ideal and creative in art...The story of mankind was his desperate concern...His art was highly finished, with a most delicate sense of proportion, facile, spontaneous and unlabored, expressive of the human emotions and of rare sensibility." (White's Biography, 1948, p. 219)

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Robert Peter Baker Collection consists of Biographical material (a brief published sketch), Photographs of Baker's paintings and sculpture (and on of Baker himself), Artwork (three original drawings), and clippings from Published material about Baker and his work.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Baker, Robert Petert (1886-1940)

Subjects

Artists -- Great Britain.
Artists -- United States.
Sculptors -- Great Britain.
Sculptors -- United States.

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Drawings (visual works)
Photographs.

Occupations

Artists.
Sculptors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Robert Peter Baker Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift, 1966.

Table of Contents

Biographical material

Photographs

Artwork

Published material

Inventory