Cecilia Evans Taylor

Cecilia Evans Taylor (1897-1994), known familiarly as Peach Taylor, was a sculptor. She is best known for her bronze sculpture of animals. Her giraffe sculptures stand outside the Giraffe House at the Buffalo Zoo. As a result of the artist’s devotion to the Buffalo Zoological Gardens enhanced by her special rapport with all kinds of animals, Mrs. Taylor was honored in 1979 with an award presented by the Zoological Society of Buffalo.

Buffalonians also know Taylor’s bronze Bison which was erected as a bicentennial project in downtown’s Church Street Park. Identical bison sculptures were presented to the citizens of Kanazawa, Japan in 1966 and Dortmund, Germany in 1982.

Taylor, who was an accomplished rider, created bronze horses which are included in numerous private collections. They range from whimsical young foals to more formal, portrait-like depictions, such as the 1972 statue of a pedigreed Arabian stallion, Fakher El Din.

Taylor’s wide audience of admirers, including art enthusiasts and naturalists, included her long-time friend Joy Adamson, known for her research in the lion kingdom.