Willa Cather Sculpture

Own a piece of history!

The National Willa Cather Center has been named the exclusive retailer for the 1-foot sculptures by the Willa Cather National Statuary Hall Committee.

Proceeds of all sales will support the purchase of a full-scale edition of the original bronze to be placed in the National Willa Cather Center in Red Cloud, Nebraska. $1,200 of the $3,000 price is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.

• 12" bronze sculpture
• Polished walnut base
• Signed by sculptor Littleton Alston

Seize the opportunity to own a copy of the sculpture of Willa Cather created by artist Littleton Alston that was unveiled in the National Statuary Hall Collection of the U.S. Capitol on June 7, 2023. The bronze sculptures are twelve inches tall, mounted on a polished walnut base, and each individually signed by the artist.

Cather is portrayed hiking through the open prairie with a walking stick, wearing a brimmed hat and clothed in the style of women’s sport suits of the day. In addition to taking inspiration from archival photographs of Cather during the height of her career in the 1920s, artifacts from the National Willa Cather Center’s museum collection were also incorporated into the design. These include Cather’s gold snake ring, and a turquoise jacket that was a gift from her editor, Alfred Knopf, and his wife Blanche.

“I’ve portrayed Cather as a mature artist in her prime,” Alston said of his final design. “I sought to capture Willa Cather’s spirit, coupled with her achievements and aspirations in this sculpture.”

Willa Cather is one of twelve other women represented in the collection—and the first Pulitzer Prize winner—while sculptor Littleton Alston is the first African American artist to have a piece in the National Statuary Hall Collection.