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Born in Northville, Carolina in 1900, Dr.Selma Burke insisted that her first experience with sculpture occurred on her family farm when she was a small child. She recalled digging out the moist clay and squeezing it in her hands. It was there in 1907 when, she said, ”I discovered me.” We discovered her many years later and grew to know her as the original “dime lady.” The coin bears the image of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who sat for this remarkable artist in 1944. Every time you pick up a dime, you see the work of Dr. Selma Burke, making her one of the most widely circulated artists in America. President Harry S. Truman unveiled Burke’s bronze plaque of FDR in 1945 and it is still on display today at the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. During a career that spanned more than 60 years, she earned the accolades of critics at home and abroad, as well as the thanks of a president for her artistic contributions. Her work is found in many public and private institutions in America and around the world. | |
