Amanda Petronella Austin

Amanda Petronella Austin was born on March 25, 1859, in Carrollton, Missouri. She studied art with George Caleb Bingham at the University of Missouri from 1877 to 1879.  In July 1879, she moved to Sacramento, California, at the invitation of her great-uncle, who provided the funds for her to continue her art education there. She studied with the landscape painter Norton Bush. In 1882, Austin enrolled in the San Francisco School of Design and studied with Virgil Williams.

In 1885, Austin taught at the School of Design in Sacramento. In 1886, she opened her studio in the Oddfellow Building and held painting classes there.

In 1908, Austin went to Paris, where she studied with artists Jean Escoula and Emile Renard. There she began working in sculpture. In 1909-1911, her work was shown at the Paris Salon. She stayed in Paris until 1912.

In 1912, Austin returned to Sacramento, where her sculptures were shown at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 and at the 26th Exhibition of Sculpture at The Art Institute of Chicago in 1916.

In 1916, Austin went back to Paris to work on a memorial fountain for the city of Sacramento. While in Paris, she was advised by a doctor to return to the United States, diagnosing her with cancer. She died in New York City on March 25, 1917.