Butter Cow Sculptor Biographies
John Karl Daniels (1875–1978)
Iowa State Fair Sculptor 1911-1912
Born in Norway, John Karl Daniels immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 9. He grew up in St. Paul and trained there in several art schools and with two different sculptors before setting up his own studio. He worked in stone, wood, and bronze. In the early 1900s Daniels started doing butter sculptures to make extra money. Daniels also created sculptures for the Minnesota State Fair. Several stone and marble sculptures of Daniels’ are on public display throughout the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
J.E. Wallace (1882-1956)
Iowa State Fair Sculptor 1913 - 1956
J.E. Wallace was from Deland, Fla. Listed in the Lincoln, Neb., city directory as a sculptor and taxidermist, he was active from 1913 to 1956 providing butter sculptures for fairs in Iowa, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Trade publications such as the Creamery Journal often noted his work, ‘‘J. E. Wallace, nationally known butter sculptor, did his usual bit by forming a piece of butter statuary,’’ declared the journal in 1926. Butter cows, cows with milkmaids, or little boys with calves were popular subjects, but he also did portraits and novelty displays. Wife, Honor, assisted him with his sculptures. Wallace died at the age of 74 shortly after the 1956 Fair.
Earl Frank Dutt (unknown)
Iowa State Fair Sculptor 1957– 1959
Earl Frank Dutt was trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and had experience sculpting plaster and clay. Prior to taking over for Wallace, Dutt sculpted in lard at the Iowa State Fair. Dutt also sculpted cows in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. Dutt was from Chicago, Illinois. His wife Betty was originally from Muscatine, Iowa.
Norma “Duffy” Lyon (1929-2011)
Iowa State Fair Sculptor 1960 – 2005
Norma “Duffy” Lyon was born in Tennessee and moved to Iowa when she 5. After graduating from Iowa State University, Duffy raised nine children and countless Jersey cows with her husband Joe. She began sculpting as an apprentice in 1959 and took over full time in 1960, becoming the fourth person and first woman to sculpt the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow.
Duffy achieved international acclaim for her sculptures. Her works were displayed in 13 states and Canada, she appeared on national television including The Today Show and Late Night with David Letterman and she was featured in several national magazines and on radio stations around the globe. She retired in 2005 after 46 years of sculpting.
Sadly, Duffy passed away in June of 2011, shortly before the Fair's celebration of 100 years of the Butter Cow. Countless Fairgoers identify the Fair with her butter sculptures and, while she had retired from sculpting, she was still affectionately known as the “Butter Cow Lady.” Her presence will be greatly missed.
Sarah Pratt
Iowa State Fair Sculptor 2006 – present
Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines became the Iowa State Fair’s fifth butter sculptor in 2006 after apprenticing under previous sculptor Norma “Duffy” Lyon for 15 years. During her time as the Iowa State Fair butter sculptor, Pratt has created companion sculptures featuring fictional characters such as Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss and famous Iowans such as Shawn Johnson and Brandon Routh, star of “Superman Returns.”
Fair Attractions
Slideshow
100 Years of Butter Cow
