Sylvia Shaw Judson
1897 - 1978
Sylvia Shaw Judson is most remembered today for the statue that she called Bird Girl. This sculpture, known as The Bird Girl or Savannah’s Bird Girl, was created in 1936 by Mrs. Judson in Lake Forest, Illinois. It achieved fame when it was featured on the cover of the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In the past few years, Mrs. Judson’s Bird Girl has become one of the most recognizable and most loved garden statues in the world.
However, her extensive work can be viewed and admired throughout the United States. Public parks and private gardens across America—from Boston Commons and Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park to Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, from the White House to Santa Barbara—provide settings for the well-loved sculpture and fountains of Sylvia Shaw Judson.
Known particularly for her endearing interpretation of children and animals in various media, Mrs. Judson, who was herself a Quaker, executed various commissions involving religious subjects.
Sylvia Shaw Judson was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, near Chicago. Trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in Paris under Antoine Bourdelle, her skill and talent was recognized with an impressive list of honors, prizes, and awards. For the first time ever, many of her works, all upon the approval and permission of her estate, are becoming available for reproduction and purchase. Potina is honored to be the exclusive supplier of these beautiful masterpieces of work. For more information or to place an order, please contact us.