Daniel Chester French: Difference between revisions

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| field            = [[Sculpture]]
| field            = [[Sculpture]]
| movement        = [[American Renaissance]]
| movement        = [[American Renaissance]]
| works            = ''[[Abraham Lincoln (1920 statue)|Abraham Lincoln]]''
| works            = [[Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)|''Statue of Abraham Lincoln'' (Lincoln Memorial)]]
| patrons          = [[Hiram Powers]], [[Thomas Ball (artist)|Thomas Ball]]
| patrons          = [[Hiram Powers]], [[Thomas Ball (artist)|Thomas Ball]]
| influenced      =  
| influenced      =  
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| education        = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (no degree)
| education        = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (no degree)
}}
}}
[[File:America, Daniel Chester French.jpg|thumb|''America,'' one of the ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'' at the [[Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House]] in New York City]]
'''Daniel Chester French''' (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American [[sculpture|sculptor]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''[[The Minute Man]]'', an 1874 statue in [[Concord, Massachusetts]], and his [[Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)|1920 monumental statue]] of [[Abraham Lincoln]] at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]
'''Daniel Chester French''' (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American [[sculpture|sculptor]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''[[The Minute Man]]'', an 1874 statue in [[Concord, Massachusetts]], and his [[Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)|1920 monumental statue]] of [[Abraham Lincoln]] at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
French was born on April 20, 1850, in [[Exeter, New Hampshire]], the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of [[William Merchant Richardson]] (1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire, and of [[Henry Flagg French]]  (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, [[United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury|Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary]], and author of a book that described the [[French drain]].<ref name="French, 1859" >{{cite book|last=French  |first=Henry F.|title=Farm drainage: the principles, processes, and effects of draining land with stones, wood, plows, and open ditches, and especially with tiles|url=https://archive.org/details/farmdrainageprin00frenrich  |location=New York  |publisher=Orange Judd & Company|year=1859|ref=French, 1859}}</ref> His siblings were Henriette Van Mater French Hollis (1839–1911), Sarah Flagg French Bartlett (1846–1883), and [[William M.R. French]] (1843–1914). He was the uncle of Senator [[Henry F. Hollis]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=French, Daniel Chester|journal=Men of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries|year=1908|volume= 1|pages= 924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=94kmAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA924|last1=Leonard|first1=John W.}}</ref>  
[[Image:HBaconChesterwood.jpg|thumb|left|French's summer home, studio [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]] in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]]]]French was born on April 20, 1850, in [[Exeter, New Hampshire]], the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of [[William Merchant Richardson]] (1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire, and of [[Henry Flagg French]]  (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, [[United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury|Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary]], and author of a book that described the [[French drain]].<ref name="French, 1859" >{{cite book|last=French  |first=Henry F.|title=Farm drainage: the principles, processes, and effects of draining land with stones, wood, plows, and open ditches, and especially with tiles|url=https://archive.org/details/farmdrainageprin00frenrich  |location=New York  |publisher=Orange Judd & Company|year=1859|ref=French, 1859}}</ref> His siblings were Henriette Van Mater French Hollis (1839–1911), Sarah Flagg French Bartlett (1846–1883), and [[William M.R. French]] (1843–1914). He was the uncle of Senator [[Henry F. Hollis]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=French, Daniel Chester|journal=Men of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries|year=1908|volume= 1|pages= 924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=94kmAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA924|last1=Leonard|first1=John W.}}</ref>


In 1867, French moved with his family to [[Concord, Massachusetts]],<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=French, Daniel Chester|year=1905}}</ref> where he was a neighbor and friend of [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], and the [[Alcott family]]. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by [[Louisa May Alcott]]'s sister [[Abigail May Alcott]].
In 1867, French moved with his family to [[Concord, Massachusetts]],<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=French, Daniel Chester|year=1905}}</ref> where he was a neighbor and friend of [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], and the [[Alcott family]]. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by [[Louisa May Alcott]]'s sister [[Abigail May Alcott]].
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==Career==
==Career==
[[File:Daniel Chester French in his New York studio.jpg|thumb|French in his studio with the model for Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell, {{Circa|1889}}]]
[[File:Daniel Chester French in his New York studio.jpg|thumb|French in his studio with the model for Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell, {{Circa|1889}}]]
[[Image:HBaconChesterwood.jpg|thumb|[[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]] in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]], French's summer home, studio, and gardens, now a [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] site]]
French first earned acclaim for ''[[The Minute Man]]'', commissioned by the town of [[Concord, Massachusetts]], which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], the first armed conflict of the [[American Revolutionary War]].
French first earned acclaim for ''[[The Minute Man]]'', commissioned by the town of [[Concord, Massachusetts]], which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], the first armed conflict of the [[American Revolutionary War]].


French established his own studio, first in [[Washington, D.C.]], which he later moved to [[Boston]] and then to [[New York City]]. In 1893, French's reputation grew with his ''[[Statue of the Republic]]'' for the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[Chicago]]. Other works by French include the ''First Division Monument'' and the ''Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain'', both in Washington, D.C., ''[[Statue of John Harvard|John Harvard]]'' on the campus of [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], bronze doors for the [[Boston Central Library]] in [[Boston]], and ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'' at the U.S. Custom House, New York, later renamed the [[Alexander Hamilton US Custom House]]. In addition to the [[Lincoln Memorial]], French collaborated with architect [[Henry Bacon]] on memorials around the country, including the [[Dupont Circle]] fountain in Washington, D.C.
[[Image:Minute Man, Daniel Chester French, Concord MA.jpg|thumb|''[[The Minute Man]]'' (1874) in [[Concord, Massachusetts]]]]
French established his own studio, first in [[Washington, D.C.]], which he later moved to [[Boston]] and then to [[New York City]]. In 1893, French's reputation grew with his ''[[Statue of the Republic]]'' for the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[Chicago]]. Other works by French include the ''[[First Division Monument]]'' and the ''[[Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain]]'', both in Washington, D.C., ''[[Statue of John Harvard|John Harvard]]'' on the campus of [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], bronze doors for the [[Boston Central Library]] in [[Boston]], and ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'' at the U.S. Custom House, New York, later renamed the [[Alexander Hamilton US Custom House]]. In addition to the [[Lincoln Memorial]], French collaborated with architect [[Henry Bacon]] on memorials around the country, including the [[Dupont Circle]] fountain in Washington, D.C.


In 1893, French was a founding member of the [[National Sculpture Society]], and he was appointed a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1913.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter F|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterF.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=April 7, 2011}}</ref> During this time, he served as an instructor at the [[Art Students League of New York]], teaching sculpture there in 1890 and 1898.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daniel Chester French (1850–1931)|date=June 2010 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fren/hd_fren.htm|access-date=December 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Instagram |author=The Art Students League of NY|user=aslny|postid=CrRiJltMQ_1|date=April 21, 2023 |title=Happy birthday to League artist Daniel Chester French (1850—1931) best known for creating the Lincoln Memorial.|language=English|access-date=December 22, 2023|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/CrRiJltMQ_1/}}</ref> French also became a member of the [[National Academy of Design]] (1901), the [[The American Academy of Arts and Letters|American Academy of Arts and Letters]] (which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the [[Architectural League]], and the [[Accademia di San Luca]], of Rome. He was a trustee of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York City, and a co-founder of the [[American Academy in Rome]]. He was a Chevalier of the French [[Legion of Honor]] and was awarded a medal of honor from the [[Paris Exposition of 1900]]; he also was granted honorary degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities. He was a founding member of the [[U.S. Commission of Fine Arts]], serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915.<ref>Luebke, Thomas E., ed., ''Civic Art:  A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts'' (Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013):  Appendix B, p. 544.</ref>  
In 1893, French was a founding member of the [[National Sculpture Society]], and he was appointed a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1913.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter F|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterF.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=April 7, 2011}}</ref> During this time, he served as an instructor at the [[Art Students League of New York]], teaching sculpture there in 1890 and 1898.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daniel Chester French (1850–1931)|date=June 2010 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fren/hd_fren.htm|access-date=December 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Instagram |author=The Art Students League of NY|user=aslny|postid=CrRiJltMQ_1|date=April 21, 2023 |title=Happy birthday to League artist Daniel Chester French (1850—1931) best known for creating the Lincoln Memorial.|language=English|access-date=December 22, 2023|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/CrRiJltMQ_1/}}</ref> French also became a member of the [[National Academy of Design]] (1901), the [[The American Academy of Arts and Letters|American Academy of Arts and Letters]] (which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the [[Architectural League]], and the [[Accademia di San Luca]], of Rome. He was a trustee of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York City, and a co-founder of the [[American Academy in Rome]]. He was a Chevalier of the French [[Legion of Honor]] and was awarded a medal of honor from the [[Paris Exposition of 1900]]; he also was granted honorary degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities. He was a founding member of the [[U.S. Commission of Fine Arts]], serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915.<ref>Luebke, Thomas E., ed., ''Civic Art:  A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts'' (Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013):  Appendix B, p. 544.</ref>


In 1917, French and a colleague, [[Henry Augustus Lukeman]], designed the [[Pulitzer Prize]] gold medal presented to laureates. French designed the side of the prize with Benjamin Franklin on it, while Lukeman created the iconic design of the printing press and the wording on the award: "For disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year….".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Homren |first=Wayne |date=April 11, 2004 |title=Pulitzer Secrets Revealed |journal=The E-Sylum |volume= 7 |issue= 15, art. 5 |url=http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v07n15a05.html |access-date=July 1, 2007}}</ref> In collaboration with [[Edward Clark Potter]] he modeled the [[George Washington]] statue, commissioned by a group that called itself "The Association of American Women for the Erection of a Statue of Washington in Paris" and unveiled in the Place d'Iena in Paris, France, in 1900; the [[Ulysses S Grant|General Grant]] statue in [[Fairmount Park, Philadelphia]], commissioned by the [[Association for Public Art]] (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association);<ref>{{cite book|last=Bach|first=Penny|title=Public Art in Philadelphia|publisher=Temple University Press| location = Philadelphia, PA | year = 1992| isbn = 0-87722-822-1|page=208}}</ref> and the [[equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker]] in Boston.
In 1917, French and a colleague, [[Henry Augustus Lukeman]], designed the [[Pulitzer Prize]] gold medal presented to laureates. French designed the side of the prize with Benjamin Franklin on it, while Lukeman created the iconic design of the printing press and the wording on the award: "For disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year….".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Homren |first=Wayne |date=April 11, 2004 |title=Pulitzer Secrets Revealed |journal=The E-Sylum |volume= 7 |issue= 15, art. 5 |url=http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v07n15a05.html |access-date=July 1, 2007}}</ref> In collaboration with [[Edward Clark Potter]] he modeled the [[George Washington]] statue, commissioned by a group that called itself "The Association of American Women for the Erection of a Statue of Washington in Paris" and unveiled in the Place d'Iena in Paris, France, in 1900; the [[Ulysses S Grant|General Grant]] statue in [[Fairmount Park, Philadelphia]], commissioned by the [[Association for Public Art]] (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association);<ref>{{cite book|last=Bach|first=Penny|title=Public Art in Philadelphia|publisher=Temple University Press| location = Philadelphia, PA | year = 1992| isbn = 0-87722-822-1|page=208}}</ref> and the [[equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker]] in Boston.
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==Death==
==Death==
French died in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]], in 1931 at age 81, and was interred in [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord]].<ref>"[https://newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/ma/boston_west/concord/sights/dc_french_grave.html#:~:text=The%20grave%20of%20the%20great,from%20his%20poignant%20Melvin%20Memorial. Grave of Daniel Chester French]", ''New England Travel Planner''; accessed 2023.06.29.</ref>
French died in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]], in 1931 at age 81, and was interred in [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord]].<ref>"[https://newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/ma/boston_west/concord/sights/dc_french_grave.html#:~:text=The%20grave%20of%20the%20great,from%20his%20poignant%20Melvin%20Memorial. Grave of Daniel Chester French] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629123705/https://newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/ma/boston_west/concord/sights/dc_french_grave.html#:~:text=The%20grave%20of%20the%20great,from%20his%20poignant%20Melvin%20Memorial. |date=June 29, 2023 }}", ''New England Travel Planner''; accessed 2023.06.29.</ref>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
*[[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], French's summer home and studio – designed by his architect friend and frequent collaborator [[Henry Bacon]] – is now a historic site owned and operated by the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://savingplaces.org/places/chesterwood#.WaW5xFEpAdU|title=Chesterwood – National Trust for Historic Preservation}}</ref>
*[[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], French's summer home and studio – designed by his architect friend and frequent collaborator [[Henry Bacon]] – is now a historic site owned and operated by the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://savingplaces.org/places/chesterwood#.WaW5xFEpAdU|title=Chesterwood – National Trust for Historic Preservation}}</ref>
*In 1940, French was selected as one of five artists to be honored in the 35-stamp "Famous Americans" series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1847usa.com/identify/YearSets/FamousAmericans.htm|title=1847usa.com}}</ref>
*In 1940, French was selected as one of five artists to be honored in the 35-stamp "Famous Americans" series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1847usa.com/identify/YearSets/FamousAmericans.htm|title=1847usa.com}}</ref>
*The [[World War II]] [[Liberty Ship]] {{SS|Daniel Chester French}} was named in his honor.
* ''[[Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor]]'' (2022) is a documentary film by [[Eduardo Montes-Bradley]] produced in association with [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]] and the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].
* ''[[Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor]]'' (2022) is a documentary film by [[Eduardo Montes-Bradley]] produced in association with [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]] and the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].
*[[Chester French]] was an American indie band named for the artist.
*[[Chester French]] was an American indie band named for the artist.
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===Public monuments===
===Public monuments===
[[Image:Lincoln statue.jpg|thumb|''[[Abraham Lincoln (1920 statue)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' (1920) at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[Image:Minute Man, Daniel Chester French, Concord MA.jpg|thumb|''[[The Minute Man]]'' (1874) in [[Concord, Massachusetts]]]]
[[File:2014 Columbia University Alma Mater closeup.jpg|thumb|''[[Alma Mater (New York sculpture)|Alma Mater]]'' (1903) at [[Columbia University]] in [[Manhattan]], New York City]]
[[File:2014 Columbia University Alma Mater closeup.jpg|thumb|''[[Alma Mater (New York sculpture)|Alma Mater]]'' (1903) at [[Columbia University]] in [[Manhattan]], New York City]]
[[File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG|thumb|[[Dupont Circle Fountain]] (1921), Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.]]
*''[[The Minute Man]]'' at the [[Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts|Old North Bridge]] in [[Concord, Massachusetts]], (1874)
*''[[The Minute Man]]'' at the [[Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts|Old North Bridge]] in [[Concord, Massachusetts]], (1874)
*Bust of Major General [[William Francis Bartlett]] at Memorial Hall at [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] (1881)
*Bust of Major General [[William Francis Bartlett]] at Memorial Hall at [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] (1881)
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*''[[The Spirit of Life]]'', memorial to [[Spencer Trask]], in [[Saratoga Springs, New York]], at Congress Park (1915)
*''[[The Spirit of Life]]'', memorial to [[Spencer Trask]], in [[Saratoga Springs, New York]], at Congress Park (1915)
*''[[Abraham Lincoln (1920 statue)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' in the [[Lincoln Memorial]] (1914–22), executed by the [[Piccirilli Brothers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultural_diversity/Lincoln_Memorial_National_Memorial.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126035623/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultural_diversity/Lincoln_Memorial_National_Memorial.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2015|title=Lincoln Memorial National Memorial—Places Reflecting America's Diverse Cultures Explore their Stories in the National Park System: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary}}</ref>
*''[[Abraham Lincoln (1920 statue)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' in the [[Lincoln Memorial]] (1914–22), executed by the [[Piccirilli Brothers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultural_diversity/Lincoln_Memorial_National_Memorial.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126035623/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultural_diversity/Lincoln_Memorial_National_Memorial.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2015|title=Lincoln Memorial National Memorial—Places Reflecting America's Diverse Cultures Explore their Stories in the National Park System: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary}}</ref>
*''The Weaver'', outside the [[Peace Dale, Rhode Island|Peace Dale]] Library in [[South Kingstown, Rhode Island]] (1919)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/culture/design-new-england/2014/07/15/around_new_engl_22|title = Around New England: The Weaver of Peace Dale}}</ref>
*''The Weaver'', outside the [[Peace Dale, Rhode Island|Peace Dale]] Library in [[South Kingstown, Rhode Island]] (1919)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/culture/design-new-england/2014/07/15/around_new_engl_22|title = Around New England: The Weaver of Peace Dale | date=July 15, 2014 }}</ref>
*''[[Marquis de Lafayette]] Memorial'', on the perimeter of [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)]], at 9th Street and Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, New York City (1917)
*''[[Marquis de Lafayette]] Memorial'', on the perimeter of [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)]], at 9th Street and Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, New York City (1917)
*''[[Dupont Circle Fountain|Samuel Francis du Pont Memorial Fountain]]'', [[Dupont Circle]], Washington D.C. (1921)
*''[[Dupont Circle Fountain|Samuel Francis du Pont Memorial Fountain]]'', [[Dupont Circle]], Washington D.C. (1921)
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*''James Woods, "Uncle Jimmy" Green'', [[University of Kansas]], [[Lawrence, Kansas]] (1924)
*''James Woods, "Uncle Jimmy" Green'', [[University of Kansas]], [[Lawrence, Kansas]] (1924)
*''[[William Franklin Draper (politician)|Gen. William Franklin Draper]]'', Draper Memorial Park, [[Milford, Massachusetts]] (1912)
*''[[William Franklin Draper (politician)|Gen. William Franklin Draper]]'', Draper Memorial Park, [[Milford, Massachusetts]] (1912)
==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" style="text-align:center;" widths="162" heights="175">
File:John Harvard statue.jpg|''[[John Harvard (statue)|John Harvard]]'' (1884), [[Harvard Yard]] at [[Harvard University]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
File:Memory, (front) by Daniel Chester French.png|[[Memory (French)|Memory]], [[Metropolitan Museum of Art - Gallery Images|Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
File:2004-08-08 1580x2800 chicago republic.jpg|[[Statue of the Republic|Statue of ''The Republic'']], (1893, reduced vers. 1918), [[Chicago]]
File:Oreillymemorial.jpg|[[John Boyle O'Reilly]] Memorial (1897), [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
File:Central Park NYC - Richard Morris Hunt Memorial by Daniel Chester French - IMG 5761.JPG|''Architecture'' (1901), [[Richard Morris Hunt Memorial]]
File:Commodore George Hamilton Perkins crop.jpg|[[Statue of George H. Perkins]] (1902), [[New Hampshire State House]], [[Concord, New Hampshire]]
File:Civil War Monument to Melvin Brothers, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA - March 2016.JPG|''Melvin Memorial'' (1908), [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord|Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]], [[Concord, Massachusetts]]
File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG|[[Dupont Circle Fountain]] (1921), Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
File:RussellAlgersfoundGCircParkdetroit.jpg|[[Russell A. Alger]] Fountain (1921), [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
File:Lady Wisconsin.jpg|''[[Wisconsin (statue)|Wisconsin]]'' (1920), [[Wisconsin Capitol Building]], [[Madison, Wisconsin]]
File:Westinghouse Plaque Schenley Park.JPG|''Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].
File:George Westinghouse Memorial2.jpg|''American Youth, Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
File:Jurisprudence by DC French.jpg|''Jurisprudence'', Federal Building, (1910) [[Cleveland, Ohio]]
File:P1058695a.jpg|''The Spirit of Life'' (1915), Congress Park, [[Saratoga Springs]], NY
File:EB1911 Plate VI. v24, pg.507, Fig 2.jpg|''Indian Corn''<br />(Bull by [[Edward Clark Potter]])
</gallery>


===Architectural sculpture===
===Architectural sculpture===
[[File:Death and the sculptor.jpg|thumb|''[[Death and the Sculptor]]'' (1893) in [[Boston]]]]
[[Image:Lincoln statue.jpg|thumb|''[[Abraham Lincoln (1920 statue)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' (1920) at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:Thomas and Alice, Gallaudet University.jpg|thumb|French's statue of [[Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet]] and [[Alice Cogswell]] (1889) at [[Gallaudet University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:Statue atop the Wisconsin State Capitol Building titled Wisconsin (cropped).jpg|thumb|Gilded bronze statue ''[[Wisconsin (statue)|Wisconsin]]'' atop Wisconsin State Capitol]]
[[File:2010 Appellate courthouse Daniel Chester French Justice.jpg|thumb|''Justice'' (1900) adorns the pediment of the [[Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State]] in [[Manhattan]].]]
[[File:Quadriga - The Progress of the State-looking west.jpg|thumb|''[[Progress of the State]]'' at the [[Minnesota State Capitol]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]]]]
[[File:Law PnP French Philly.JPG|thumb|''Law, Prosperity, and Power'' (1880–1884) in West Fairmount Park in [[Philadelphia]]<ref name=Lpnp>([http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!15620~!0 ''Law, Prosperity, and Power'', SIRIS])</ref>]]
*''Peace and Vigilance'' (alternatively ''America at War and Peace'') [[United States Customhouse and Post Office (St. Louis, Missouri)|US Customhouse and Post Office]], St. Louis, Missouri, [[Alfred B. Mullett]] architect (1876–1882)
 
*''Peace and Vigilance'' (alternatively ''America at War and Peace'') [[United States Customhouse and Post Office (St. Louis, Missouri)|US Customhouse & Post Office]], St. Louis, Missouri, [[Alfred B. Mullett]] architect (1876–1882)
*Pediment, New Hampshire Historic Society Building, [[Concord, New Hampshire]], [[Guy Lowell]], architect    (1909–1911)
*Pediment, New Hampshire Historic Society Building, [[Concord, New Hampshire]], [[Guy Lowell]], architect    (1909–1911)
*Bronze doors, Boston Public Library, [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], [[McKim, Mead & White]] architects, (1884–1904)
*Bronze doors, Boston Public Library, [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], [[McKim, Mead & White]] architects, (1884–1904)
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===Cemetery monuments===
===Cemetery monuments===
[[File:Angel of Peace by Daniel Chester French.jpg|thumb|''Angel of Peace'', French's 1898 monument to [[George Robert White]] at  Forest Hills Cemetery in [[Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts]]]]
[[File:Death and the sculptor.jpg|thumb|''[[Death and the Sculptor]]'' (1893) in [[Boston]]]]
*''[[Death and the Sculptor]]'', a memorial for the grave of the sculptor [[Martin Milmore]] in the Forest Hills cemetery, [[Boston]]; this received a medal of honor at [[Paris]], in 1900. (1893)
*''[[Death and the Sculptor]]'', a memorial for the grave of the sculptor [[Martin Milmore]] in the Forest Hills cemetery, [[Boston]]; this received a medal of honor at [[Paris]], in 1900. (1893)
*''Clark Memorial'', [[Forest Hills Cemetery]], [[Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts]], (1894)
*''Clark Memorial'', [[Forest Hills Cemetery]], [[Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts]], (1894)
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*''[[The Minute Man]]'': depicted on a US postage stamp issued in 1925, commemorating the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]]
*''[[The Minute Man]]'': depicted on a US postage stamp issued in 1925, commemorating the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]]
*''Bust of John Brewster'', who endowed [[Brewster Academy]] in 1887.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society|url = http://www.lwhs.us/wolf-brewsterestablishment.htm|website = www.lwhs.us|access-date = February 9, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170311175946/http://www.lwhs.us/wolf-brewsterestablishment.htm|archive-date = March 11, 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref>
*''Bust of John Brewster'', who endowed [[Brewster Academy]] in 1887.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society|url = http://www.lwhs.us/wolf-brewsterestablishment.htm|website = www.lwhs.us|access-date = February 9, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170311175946/http://www.lwhs.us/wolf-brewsterestablishment.htm|archive-date = March 11, 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" style="text-align:center;" widths="162" heights="175">
File:John Harvard statue.jpg|''[[John Harvard (statue)|John Harvard]]'' (1884), [[Harvard Yard]] at [[Harvard University]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
File:Memory, (front) by Daniel Chester French.png|''[[Memory (French)|Memory]]'', [[Metropolitan Museum of Art - Gallery Images|Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
File:2004-08-08 1580x2800 chicago republic.jpg|[[Statue of the Republic|Statue of ''The Republic'']], (1893, reduced vers. 1918), [[Chicago]]
File:Oreillymemorial.jpg|[[John Boyle O'Reilly]] Memorial (1897), [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
File:Central Park NYC - Richard Morris Hunt Memorial by Daniel Chester French - IMG 5761.JPG|''Architecture'' (1901), [[Richard Morris Hunt Memorial]]
File:Commodore George Hamilton Perkins crop.jpg|[[Statue of George H. Perkins]] (1902), [[New Hampshire State House]], [[Concord, New Hampshire]]
File:America, Daniel Chester French.jpg|''America,'' one of the ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'' at the [[Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House]] in [[New York City]]
File:Civil War Monument to Melvin Brothers, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA - March 2016.JPG|''Melvin Memorial'' (1908), [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord|Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]], [[Concord, Massachusetts]]
File:RussellAlgersfoundGCircParkdetroit.jpg|[[Russell A. Alger]] Fountain (1921), [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
File:Westinghouse Plaque Schenley Park.JPG|''Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].
File:George Westinghouse Memorial2.jpg|''American Youth, Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
File:Jurisprudence by DC French.jpg|''Jurisprudence'', Federal Building, (1910) [[Cleveland, Ohio]]
File:P1058695a.jpg|''The Spirit of Life'' (1915), Congress Park, [[Saratoga Springs]], NY
File:EB1911 Plate VI. v24, pg.507, Fig 2.jpg|''Indian Corn''<br />(Bull by [[Edward Clark Potter]])
</gallery>


<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
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== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Daniel Chester French}}
{{Commons category|Daniel Chester French}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|French, Daniel Chester}}
{{EB1911 poster|French, Daniel Chester}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Daniel Chester French |sopt=t}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Daniel Chester French |sopt=t}}
* [http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/dc_french/daniel_chester_french.html Daniel Chester French: Sculpture In Situ]
* [http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/dc_french/daniel_chester_french.html Daniel Chester French: Sculpture In Situ]
Line 198: Line 194:
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15324coll10/id/1306/rec/181 Daniel Chester French exhibition brochure] from the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15324coll10/id/1306/rec/181 Daniel Chester French exhibition brochure] from the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
* [https://www.nps.gov/articles/chesterwood-the-workshop-of-an-american-sculptor-teaching-with-historic-places.htm "Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor"]; [https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/100chesterwood.htm "Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor – A Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan"], a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
* [https://www.nps.gov/articles/chesterwood-the-workshop-of-an-american-sculptor-teaching-with-historic-places.htm "Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor"]; [https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/100chesterwood.htm "Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor – A Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan"], a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
* [https://www.chesterwood.org/monuments-myths Monuments and Myths: The America of Sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French] 2023 exhibit at Chesterwood; traveled to [[Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art]], [[Frist Art Museum]], [[Michener Art Museum]], and [[Brunnier Art Museum]].  The exhibition catalog was written by Andrew Eschelbacher.  {{ISBN|978-3-777-44097-2}}


{{Daniel Chester French|state=expanded}}
{{Daniel Chester French|state=expanded}}

Latest revision as of 21:32, 28 October 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox artist Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include The Minute Man, an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Early life and education

File:HBaconChesterwood.jpg
French's summer home, studio Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Massachusetts

French was born on April 20, 1850, in Exeter, New Hampshire, the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of William Merchant Richardson (1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire, and of Henry Flagg French (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary, and author of a book that described the French drain.[1] His siblings were Henriette Van Mater French Hollis (1839–1911), Sarah Flagg French Bartlett (1846–1883), and William M.R. French (1843–1914). He was the uncle of Senator Henry F. Hollis.[2]

In 1867, French moved with his family to Concord, Massachusetts,[3] where he was a neighbor and friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the Alcott family. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by Louisa May Alcott's sister Abigail May Alcott.

French's early education included training in anatomy with William Rimmer and in drawing with William Morris Hunt. French spent a year studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and also several years in Florence, Italy, studying in the studio of Thomas Ball.

Career

File:Daniel Chester French in his New York studio.jpg
French in his studio with the model for Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell, Template:Circa

French first earned acclaim for The Minute Man, commissioned by the town of Concord, Massachusetts, which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflict of the American Revolutionary War.

File:Minute Man, Daniel Chester French, Concord MA.jpg
The Minute Man (1874) in Concord, Massachusetts

French established his own studio, first in Washington, D.C., which he later moved to Boston and then to New York City. In 1893, French's reputation grew with his Statue of the Republic for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Other works by French include the First Division Monument and the Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain, both in Washington, D.C., John Harvard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, bronze doors for the Boston Central Library in Boston, and Four Continents at the U.S. Custom House, New York, later renamed the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House. In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon on memorials around the country, including the Dupont Circle fountain in Washington, D.C.

In 1893, French was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society, and he was appointed a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1913.[4] During this time, he served as an instructor at the Art Students League of New York, teaching sculpture there in 1890 and 1898.[5][6] French also became a member of the National Academy of Design (1901), the American Academy of Arts and Letters (which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the Architectural League, and the Accademia di San Luca, of Rome. He was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and a co-founder of the American Academy in Rome. He was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and was awarded a medal of honor from the Paris Exposition of 1900; he also was granted honorary degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities. He was a founding member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915.[7]

In 1917, French and a colleague, Henry Augustus Lukeman, designed the Pulitzer Prize gold medal presented to laureates. French designed the side of the prize with Benjamin Franklin on it, while Lukeman created the iconic design of the printing press and the wording on the award: "For disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year….".[8] In collaboration with Edward Clark Potter he modeled the George Washington statue, commissioned by a group that called itself "The Association of American Women for the Erection of a Statue of Washington in Paris" and unveiled in the Place d'Iena in Paris, France, in 1900; the General Grant statue in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, commissioned by the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association);[9] and the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker in Boston.

French was one of many sculptors who frequently employed Audrey Munson as a model; another frequent sitter was Hettie Anderson. Together with Walter Leighton Clark and others, he was also one of the founders of the Berkshire Playhouse,[10] which later became the Berkshire Theatre Festival. French's daughter, Margaret, also occasionally modeled for him, including for some of his rare portrait paintings, and became famous in her own right as a sculptor under the name Margaret French Cresson. In 1917, Harvard's citation in conferring an honorary Master of Arts referred to his statue of EmersonTemplate:Clarify[11] when it called him "a sculptor, whose skillful hand, unlike that of the friend whom he portrayed, has not been stopped but spared to adorn our land by the creation of his art".[12][13] French also taught; among his pupils was the sculptor Edith Howland.[14]

Death

French died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1931 at age 81, and was interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord.[15]

Legacy

Works

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Public monuments

File:2014 Columbia University Alma Mater closeup.jpg
Alma Mater (1903) at Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City
File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG
Dupont Circle Fountain (1921), Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.

Architectural sculpture

File:Lincoln statue.jpg
Abraham Lincoln (1920) at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
File:Statue atop the Wisconsin State Capitol Building titled Wisconsin (cropped).jpg
Gilded bronze statue Wisconsin atop Wisconsin State Capitol
File:Quadriga - The Progress of the State-looking west.jpg
Progress of the State at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul

Cemetery monuments

File:Death and the sculptor.jpg
Death and the Sculptor (1893) in Boston

Selected museum pieces

Miscellaneous pieces and works about French

Gallery

References

Citations

Template:Reflist

Further reading

  • Buck, Diane M. and Virginia A. Palmer, Outdoor Sculpture in Milwaukee: A Cultural and Historical Guidebook, The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, 1995
  • Caffin, Charles H., American Masters of Sculpture, Doubleday, Page & Company, New York 1913
  • Caffin, in International Studio, volumes xx (1903), lx (1910), and lxvi (1912)
  • Carlock, Marty, A Guide to Public Art in Greater Boston from Newburyport to Plymouth, The Harvard Common Press, Boston Massachusetts, 1988
  • Chesterwood Archives, Geographical List of Works: DRAFT, unpublished manuscript, April 14, 1993
  • Coughlan, in Magazine of Art (1901)
  • Craven, Wayne, Sculpture in America, Thomas Y. Crowell Co, NY, NY 1968
  • Cresson, Margaret French, Journey into Fame: The Life of Daniel Chester French, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1947
  • Dearinger, David, Daniel Chester French: The Female Form Revealed, Boston Athenaeum, 2016
  • Hucke, Matt and Ursela Bielski, Graveyards of Chicago: the People, History, Art and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries, Lake Claremont Press, Chicago, 1999
  • Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture in America
  • Lanctot, Barbara, A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery, Chicago Architectural Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
  • Richman, Michael, Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor, The Preservation Press, Washington, D.C., 1976
  • Taft, Lorado, The History of American Sculpture, MacMillan Co., New York, NY 1925
  • Tolles, Thayer. "Daniel Chester French (1850–1931)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (June 2010)
  • Wilson, Susan, Garden of Memorials: A Guide to Historic Forest Hills, Forest Hills Educational Trust

External links

Template:Sister project Template:Sister project

Template:Daniel Chester French Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  7. ↑ Luebke, Thomas E., ed., Civic Art: A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013): Appendix B, p. 544.
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Callan, Richard L. 100 Years of Solitude: John Harvard Finishes His First Century. The Harvard Crimson. April 28, 1984. Retrieved October 13, 2012
  13. ↑ Harvard Alumni Bulletin v.19
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ "Grave of Daniel Chester French Template:Webarchive", New England Travel Planner; accessed 2023.06.29.
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Chicago Landmarks | Statue of The Republic Template:Webarchive at www.ci.chi.il.us
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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