A Snohomish Sculptor Takes the World Stage
A local sculptor finds fame at the World's Fair after using a mountain lion killed in Monte Cristo as his macabre model.
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It is not generally known that Snohomish county is represented among the leading art exhibits at the World's Fair. Two mountain lions in sculpture near the entrance to the main exhibition building are the work of A. P. Proctor, son of Alexander Proctor, of this city. Mr. Proctor, the sculptor, had for his model the carcass of a real mountain lion, which he brought down in the mountains about Monte Cristo not long since, not only sketching it but dissecting and taking actual measurements. Mr. Proctor, about the same time, snared a deer while it was swimming across a stream, capturing it alive and bringing it to this city. He built a neat pen for the animal, and spent a month sketching it.
“He had for his model the carcass of a real mountain lion, which he brought down in the mountains about Monte Cristo.”
A.P. Proctor would go on to become a world-renowned sculptor of animals, contributing significantly to the aesthetic of the American West. The juxtaposition of his intense, scientific study of taxidermy and live animals with his success at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair highlights how regional artists gained status during the state's early development.
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