Nancy elizabeth prophet biography
- A revered sculptor of the early twentieth century, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was.
- Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was an American artist of African-American and Native American ancestry, known for her sculpture.
- Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was an American artist of African-American and Native American ancestry, known for her sculpture.
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Nancy Elizabeth Prophet
1890–1960
Introduction
Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was a sculptor who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1918. Though both were married, Prophet struck up a romantic relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois after she graduated from college. Prophet then traveled to further study in Paris in 1922 where she trained at L'Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. During most of her career in Paris, Prophet struggled with poverty and hunger. She returned to the United States in 1934 to teach in Spelman College's art department, though she resented having to leave her Parisian studio. Prophet did not produce much art in her final two decades, and she passed away from a heart attack in 1960.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, sculptor, teacher
ULAN identifier
500329392
Names
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Nancy E. Prophet
View the full Getty record
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed Februa
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Prophet, Nancy Elizabeth 1890–1960
Sculptor
Family Discouraged Ambitions
Exile and Poverty in Paris
Relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois
Taught at Spelman
Decline and Artistic Legacy
Sources
The first African American to graduate from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet struggled to achieve success as a sculptor. She spent much of her career in exile and endured periods of extreme poverty before gaining international recognition. Returning to the United States, she taught at Spelman College and continued to sculpt, but again fell into obscurity. Though consistent fame eluded Prophet in her own lifetime, subsequent generations have begun to recognize her importance as a brilliant, if troubled, artist.
Family Discouraged Ambitions
Prophet was born on March 19, 1890, in Warwick, Rhode Island, to a family with deep roots in the region. She described her mother, Rosa E. Walker Profitt, as a “mixed Negro.” Her father, William H. Profitt, claimed both African and American Indian ancestry; his mother was a Narragansett-Pequod who h
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Nancy Elizabeth (Profitt) Prophet (1890 - 1960)
NancyElizabethProphet formerly Profitt
Daughter of Walker Profitt and Rosalie Elizabeth (Walker) Profitt
[sibling(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Profile last modified | Created 26 Dec 2023
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Biography
Nancy (Profitt) Prophet is a part of US Black heritage.
Nancy was Narragansett.
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was an American artist who was known for her sculpture.[1]
Nancy Profitt was born in 1890 in Warwick, Rhode Island. She was the daughter of Walker Profitt and Rosalie Walker. Her father was Narragansett and her mother was Black.[2]ref name="marriage"/>
In 1915, she married Francis Ford.[3] Their marriage ended in the 1930s. They had no children.
In 1918, she was the first African American graduate of Rhode Island School of Design. S
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