Over the years, many visitors at McConnell Library have taken notice of the small room located off the right side of the Reading Room. This room, filled with numerous statues of porcelain birds, has come to be known by all as the “Bird Room.” While these statues are both valuable and beautiful, visitors to the library may be surprised to learn that they have also played a major role in the seemingly distant worlds of art and politics. The porcelain figurines, created by Edward Marshall Boehm, Inc. (now known as Boehm, Porcelain), have found homes in museums and art galleries around the world. The porcelain figurines have also served as tokens of goodwill and have been presented to a number of world leaders including Mao Tse-Tung, Pope Paul VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. This ability of Boehm porcelain to transcend the traditional boundaries between politics and culture make them an invaluable American icon, and Radford University’s collection is a fitting tribute to their importance.
Black Capped Chickadee
The history behind Boehm porcelain figurines began with the founding of the company in Trenton, New Jersey by Edward Marshall Boehm. E. M. Boehm’s porcelain, remarkable for its high quality, took several years to gain appreciation by consumers. Fame and fortune were not easily found in the first years of the studio; it was only after his wife Helen successfully sold two porcelain figurines to the Metropolitan Museum of Art that the artist’s work became highly desirable. Soon after the porcelain figurines began to be purchased by a number of art galleries both stateside and abroad. Private collectors and art galleries alike were drawn to E. M. Boehm’s delicate representations of nature. His death in 1969 did not slow down the production of these fine figurines – artists in Boehm’s Trenton, New Jersey studio and later the studio in Malvern, England continued to produce works under the watchful eye of Helen Boehm.
It was Helen Boehm, after all, whose skills in business had launched her husband’s porcelain from unknown to world famous in a matter of years. While art studios and private collectors alike coveted the porcelain, Helen Boehm saw the opportunity to transform E. M. Boehm, Inc. from a simple porcelain manufacturer to a key player in world diplomacy. This transformation first begin with President Eisenhower presenting a Boehm porcelain artwork to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, whose likeness was recreated in a porcelain figurine. Thus started a tradition of Boehm artwork being presented to foreign dignitaries during diplomatic meetings around the world. President Richard Nixon selected the famous “Birds of Peace” sculpture, comprised of a pair of life-size porcelain mute swans, to present during his official state visit to China in 1972. These swans were given to Chairman Mao Tse-Tung as a gesture of goodwill during the Cold War. In 1987, as the Cold War came to an end, President Ronald Reagan presented Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the USSR, with the Boehm porcelain “Global Peace” sculpture. This sculpture, which represented a globe surrounded by white doves of peace, cemented the connection between Boehm porcelain and peace diplomacy.
Global Peace Statue, presented to USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev by US President Ronald Reagan in 1987
In addition to the diplomatic ventures of American politicians, Helen Boehm actively participated in American diplomacy herself by presenting Boehm porcelain figurines to a number of world leaders and policy makers. Boehm traveled the globe in the years following her husband’s death, promoting American values and goodwill in countries such as China, the USSR, Great Britain, Egypt, and the Vatican. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Boehm sought out connections with the papacy and forged cultural diplomacy by presenting Boehm figurines to two popes, including Pope Paul VI who she entertained during his visit to the United States. In 1976, an anonymous donor purchased a pair of mute swans and donated them to the Vatican; Helen Boehm’s connection to the papacy no doubt influenced the Vatican’s decision to house the porcelain statue in their permanent collection. The placement of Boehm porcelain in the Vatican was followed by Boehm’s presentation of an American Bald Eagle figurine to the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. At home in the United States, Boehm continued her tradition of diplomacy until her later years; her death in 2009 was certainly met with great sadness by those dedicated collectors and diplomats who had come to know and respect this great business woman. Presently, Boehm, Porcelain continues the traditions set forth by Edward and Helen Boehm, and the admiration of these physically delicate but emotionally powerful porcelain figurines is unlikely to wane in the near future.
E. M. Boehm, Inc. produced works of art that to this day are housed in such famous art galleries as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, the Hermitage, Buckingham Palace, and the Vatican. Radford University came upon such a fine collection of Boehm porcelain after a generous donation to the University’s Foundation. The estate of Radford alumni Marjorie Carlton Pearson Glenn, who graduated from the Radford State Teacher’s College in 1932, donated a collection of Boehm porcelain figurines to the University in 1995. Radford University’s Foundation received over fifty Boehm figurines from the estate of Mrs. Glenn; after their donation these items made their way into the now aptly named “Bird Room” in McConnell Library. Mrs. Glenn had been an avid collector of Boehm porcelain as was evident by her impressive collection of figurines and documents relating to the company’s history. The Boehm porcelain figurines are on display during the library’s operating hours, and all visitors are welcome to view the collection. These pieces of art represent the beauty and power of American artwork and are an important addition to the history housed within the walls of McConnell Library, itself a living piece of history.
Amanda Meadows, 09/25/12
Much of the information in this essay came from the Boehm Collection Documents and Materials collection, part of McConnell Library’s Special Collections.
Portrait of Edward Marshall Boehm (1913-1969)
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