This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends
Photograph was edited for publication purposes Henry Van Wolf, born in Bavaria in 1898, was a prominent sculptor in the San Fernando Valley. Moving to the San Fernando Valley in 1944, Van Wolf sculpted many statues and busts on display throughout the Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States. He founded the Valley Artists Guild, also known as VAG in 1948. Van Wolf died in 1982. Photograph caption dated September 2, 1964 reads "Sculptor Henry Van Wolf admires his controversial statue of Tarzan wrestling a lioness." The article partially reads "'I would never do anything cruel. This is only symbolic.' Van Wolf apparently was replying to remarks by Watson that the 'lion wrestling act should be cleared with the SPCA. Do we want a scantily clad man being cruel to an animal on public display in our little residential community?' As for Watson, he says when he visits Van Wolf's studio Thursday he will have along a magnifying glass. 'He had better have a loin cloth on at least,' he said of Tarzan." The statue pictured is a model of a two-ton statue to be erected in Tarzana. Van Wolf maintained his studio in his home at 14101 Chandler Boulevard in Van Nuys.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Van Wolf, Henry--1898-1982 Sculptors--California--Los Angeles Artists--California--Los Angeles Men--California--Los Angeles Sculpture--California--Los Angeles Tarzan (Fictitious character) Tarzan (Fictitious character) in art Tarzan (Fictitious character)--Statues Animals in art Van Nuys (Los Angeles, Calif.) Valley Times Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
