Henri Marchand (sculptor)

Born in France, Marchand studied under Auguste Rodin. In 1903, he and his wife Clothilde, also an artist, emigrated to the United States. Marchand began working as a diorama artist at the New York State Museum.^[1] His work on the museum's Iroquois dioramas, dedicated in 1918, earned him recognition.^[2]

In 1925, Marchand and his family moved to Buffalo, New York, where he and his sons Paul and George were to construct dioramas for the Buffalo Museum of Science. Though much of the work the Marchands created there is no longer on display, some can still be seen, particularly in the museum's Hall of Wildflowers.^[1]

Tragedy fell upon the family in 1930, when Marchand's wife Clothilde was murdered by a Seneca woman named Nancy Bowen, who had been influenced by a younger woman in her tribe who was intimately involved with Marchand. This younger woman, Lila Jimerson, was one of Marchand's models for the exhibits he was working on at the time.^[3]

During the very public trial, it was revealed that Marchand had had numerous affairs, many with native women. Marchand testified that this behavior was a "professional necessity" since his diorama work required him to sculpt bare-chested women. He also said during the trial that his wife Clothilde knew about and accepted his lifestyle, statements viewed as arrogant by numerous members of the court and the press.^[4]