Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

-born American sculptor and

architectural sculptor Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that a ...

Early life and education

Adolph Alexander Weinman by Anthony de Francisci

Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at

Durmersheim Durmersheim is a small town in the district of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany and has a population of 12,112 (2020). Durmersheim is situated between Karlsruhe and Rastatt, in the valley of the river Rhine near the border to Fra ...

, near

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1885 at the age of 14. At the age of 15, he attended evening classes at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

and later studied at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

with sculptors

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

and Philip Martiny.

Career

He worked as an assistant to the sculptors Charles Niehaus,

Olin Warner Olin Levi Warner (April 9, 1844August 14, 1896) was an American sculptor and artist noted for the striking bas relief portrait medallions and busts he created in the late 19th century. Life Warner was born in Suffield, Connecticut. Warner's gre ...

, and

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture ''The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monume ...

before opening his own studio in 1904. Although Weinman is now best remembered as a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

ist, he considered himself to be an

. His steadiest income was derived from the sale of small bronze reproductions of his larger works, such as ''Descending Night'', originally commissioned for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915. Weinman was a member of the

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

and served as its president from 1927 to 1930. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

. He served on the

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction with ...

from 1929 to 1933. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

, and the

New York City Art Commission The New York City Public Design Commission, known legally as the Art Commission, is the agency of the New York City government that reviews permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over city-owned property. T ...

, among other organizations.

Death

Weinman died in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populat ...

, on August 8, 1952. Following a mass at

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

's St. Patrick's Cathedral, he was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. Weinman's papers are at the Smithsonian

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

. His son

Robert Weinman Robert Alexander Weinman (March 19, 1915 – September 7, 2003) was an American sculptor and "one of the nation's most accomplished medallic artists." Weinman had impeccable credentials as a sculptor, His father, Adolph Weinman, was a well-re ...

was also a sculptor. His son Howard Weinman designed the

Long Island Tercentenary half dollar The Long Island Tercentenary half dollar was a commemorative half dollar struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. The obverse depicts a male Dutch settler and an Algonquian tribesman, and the reverse shows a Dutch sailing ship. It ...

commemorative coin.

Works

Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC 2012

Despite his objections, Weinman is still best remembered as the designer of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, a design now used for the obverse of the American Silver Eagle one-ounce bullion coin, and the "Mercury" dime along with various medals for the

Armed Services of the United States The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...

. Among these are the identical reverses of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

. Weinman was one of many sculptors and artists who employed

Audrey Munson Audrey Marie Munson (June 8, 1891 – February 20, 1996) was an American model (person), artist's model and film actress, considered to be "America's first supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Paci ...

as a model. Weinman's work as an architectural sculptor can be found on the

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

state capitols. He became the sculptor of choice for the architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White and designed sculpture for their Manhattan Municipal Building, Madison Square Presbyterian Church (completed 1906 and demolished 1919), Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, and Pennsylvania Railroad Station (completed 1910 and demolished 1963), all in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. A photograph of one of his angels, ''Day'', in a landfill in New Jersey is one of the saddest reminders of the destruction of Penn Station in 1963, but two of his eagles were retained as trophies outside the entrance to the new subterranean

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinci ...

. Elsewhere he created the dramatic frieze on the

Elks National Veterans Memorial The Elks National Veterans Memorial (officially the Elks National Memorial and Headquarters Building) is a Beaux Arts-style domed building at 2750 North Lakeview Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The structure was planned by the Benevolent and Prote ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and executed sculpture for the Post Office Department Building, the Jefferson Memorial, and the interior of the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, all in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Weinman's non-architectural works include the Macomb and the Maybury monuments in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. Another example of his non-architectural work is his

Abraham Lincoln Statue (Kentucky) The Abraham Lincoln Statue is a historic statue in the Hodgenville Commercial Historic District's public square in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Adolph Alexander Weinman sculpted the statue, as he also did the Lincoln statue at the capitol rotunda at F ...

located in the center of Hodgenville, Kentucky. Weinman was one of 250 sculptors who exhibited in the

3rd Sculpture International 3rd Sculpture International was a 1949 exhibition of contemporary sculpture held inside and outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It featured works by 250 sculptors from around the world, and ran from May 15 ...

held at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

in the summer of 1949. Weinman's works are mostly executed in a lyrical neoclassical style. His figures typically wear classical drapery, but there is a fluidity found in his work that is a harbinger of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style that was to follow him. His bronze statuette ''The Nude Golfer'' epitomizes this style. This work evokes classical sculpture in its attention to anatomy and movement and the nude status of the athlete while the subject, a modern

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er, provides a modern twist. Weinman also taught; among his pupils was

Eleanor Mary Mellon Eleanor Mary Mellon (1894–1979) was an American sculptor. A native of Narberth, Pennsylvania, Mellon studied with Robert Ingersoll Aitken, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Charles Grafly, Edward McCartan, Victor Salvatore, and Adolph Alexander W ...

Selected works

Sculpture

*'' General Alexander Macomb'' (1906–1908), Detroit, Michigan. *''

Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument The ''Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument'' is a figural group sculpted by Adolph Alexander Weinman atop a pedestal designed by architect Albert Randolph Ross in Baltimore, United States, commemorating the Union (American Civil War), Union milit ...

'' (1909), Wyman Park, Baltimore, Maryland. *''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

'' (1909), Hodgenville, Kentucky. A replica of this is at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. *''

Alexander Johnston Cassatt Alexander Johnston Cassatt (December 8, 1839 – December 28, 1906) was the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), serving from June 9, 1899, to December 28, 1906. Family and early life Alexander Cassatt was born on December 8, ...

'', (1910), Pennsylvania Station, New York City. *''

'' (1911),

Kentucky State Capitol The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the state government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic P ...

, Frankfort, Kentucky. *William Cotter Maybury Memorial (1912),

Grand Circus Park The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, ...

, Detroit, Michigan. *''Rising Sun'' (1914–15), Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California. *''Descending Night'' (1914–15) (model,

), Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California. *''Samuel Rea'' (1926), Pennsylvania Station, New York City. *''

Fountain of the Centaurs Fountain of the Centaurs is a fountain located on the grounds of the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri, north of the Capitol building. Description The fountain consists of two separate components, the granite pool containing the b ...

'' (ca. 1926),

Missouri State Capitol The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. ( ...

, Jefferson City, Missouri. *Pair of ''Lions'' (1929–30), Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland. *''Dewitt Clinton'' (1941) and ''Alexander Hamilton'' (1941),

Museum of the City of New York A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

, New York City. *''Riders of the Dawn'' (ca. 1942), Brookgreen Gardens, Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina. File:Macomb statue in detroit.jpg, '' General Alexander Macomb'' (1906–1908),

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

File:Baltimore Soldiers Sailors.jpg, ''

'' (1909), Wyman Park

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

File:Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway - Adolph Weinman's Abraham Lincoln Statue - NARA - 7720071 (cropped).jpg, ''

'' (1909)
Hodgenville, Kentucky File:Alexander Cassatt statue by Weinman at RMP.jpg, ''

'' (1910), Pennsylvania Station
New York City File:Statue of William C. Maybury.jpg, William Cotter Maybury Memorial (1912),

,
Detroit, Michigan File:Civic Fame.jpg, ''Civic Fame'' (1913), atop Manhattan Municipal Building,
New York City File:DescendingNightAAW.jpg, ''Descending Night'' (1914–15), Panama-Pacific International Exposition,
San Francisco File:Samuel Rea Pennsta jeh.jpg, ''Samuel Rea'' (1926), Pennsylvania Station,
New York City. File:Missouri State Capitol and Fountain of the Centaurs-20150920-157.jpg, ''

'' (ca. 1926),

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

File:Urchin_Fountain_of_the_centaurs,_AA_Weinman,_sculptor.jpg, ''

'', detail (ca. 1926),

File:Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture12.jpg, ''Riders of the Dawn'' (ca. 1942), Brookgreen Gardens,
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina File:Adolph Weinman eagle.JPG, One of the four Adolf Weinman eagles of the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument File:Eagle by Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument.jpg, One of four bronze eagle sculptures surrounding the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in the

Fort Greene Historic District Fort Greene Historic District is a national historic district in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It consists of 1,158 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, one contributing object, and two contributing structures. It is cha ...

Architectural sculpture

*Architectural sculpture (1903–04), Pennsylvania Station, McKim, Mead and White, architects, (demolished 1964). Salvaged pieces of statuary survive in multiple locations. *Architectural sculpture (1904–1906), Madison Square Presbyterian Church, New York City, McKim, Mead and White, architects, (demolished 1919). *Architectural sculpture (1908), Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument,

Fort Greene Park Fort Greene Park is a city-owned and -operated park in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City. The park was originally named after the fort formerly located there, Fort Putnam, which itself was named for Rufus Putnam, George Washington's Chief ...

, Brooklyn, New York City, McKim, Mead and White, architects. *Masonic Sphinxes: ''Power'' and ''Wisdom'' (1911–1915),

House of the Temple The House of the Temple is a Masonic temple in Washington, D.C., United States that serves as the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. (officially, Home of The Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Sc ...

, Washington, D.C., John Russell Pope, architect. *Architectural sculpture (1913–1915), Manhattan Municipal Building, New York City, McKim, Mead and White, architects. *Bronze doors (1921–1923), American Academy of Arts and Letters administration building, West 155th Street,

Audubon Terrace Audubon Terrace, also known as the Audubon Terrace Historic District, is a landmark complex of eight early-20th century Beaux Arts/American Renaissance buildings located on the west side of Broadway, bounded by West 155th and West 156th Street ...

, Manhattan, New York City. *Architectural sculpture (1924–1926),

, Chicago, Illinois. *Architectural sculpture: South Pediment (ca. 1926),

, Jefferson City, Missouri. *Architectural sculpture: ''Destiny'' Pediment (1935), National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. *''Drafting the Declaration of Independence'' (1939–1943), pedimental sculpture honoring the Committee of Five on the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C. File:NYP LOC4.jpg, Pennsylvania Station, New York City (1903–04, demolished 1964) File:Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain Kansas City MO.jpg, Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain (1968), Kansas City, Missouri. Salvaged pieces from Pennsylvania Station,

File:Eagle Statue - National Zoo - Washington, DC.jpg, ''Eagle'', National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Salvaged from Pennsylvania Station,
New York City File:Adolph Weinman eagle.JPG, ''Eagle'' (1908), one of four that decorated the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument
Brooklyn, New York City File:Weinman-Sphinx-WashingtonDC.jpg, ''Wisdom'' Sphinx (1911–1915),

File:Audubon Terrace American Academy of Arts and Letters West 155th Street entrance detail 2.jpg, Detail, bronze doors, American Academy of Arts and Letters West 155th Street entrance, (1921–1923)
New York City File:Weinman in Davenport.jpg, Spandrel figure (1923), First National Bank Building,

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

File:Elks memorial Chicago.jpg, ''The Glory of Peace'' Frieze (1924–1926),

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

File:Destiny (pediment).JPG, ''Destiny'' Pediment (1935), National Archives Building,
Washington, D.C. File:Jefferson Memorial DC.jpg, ''Drafting the Declaration of Independence'' Pediment (1939–1943), Jefferson Memorial,
Washington, D.C.

U.S. coins and medals

* Mercury dime (1916–1945). More than two billion Mercury dimes were minted before it was replaced by the Roosevelt dime in 1946.Lange, David W. ''A Complete Guide Book to Mercury Dimes'' (Virginia Beach, Va.: DLRC Press, 1993). . The design is now used as the obverse of the

American Palladium Eagle The American Palladium Eagle is the official palladium bullion coin of the United States. Each coin has a face value of $25 and is composed of 99.95% fine palladium, with 1 troy ounce actual palladium weight. History The Palladium Eagle was aut ...

coin, which has been produced since 2017. * Walking Liberty half dollar (1916–1947). Replaced by the Franklin half dollar (1948). Weinman's carving is now used as the obverse of the American Silver Eagle coin, which has been produced since 1986. *

J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award The J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award is an annual award made to artists "for lifetime achievement in medallic art". It is administered by the American Numismatic Society. The award was first awarded in 1913 on the initiative of J. Sanford Saltus to re ...

– awarded by the American Numismatic Society. Weinman was the second recipient of this medal.

References

Notes Bibliography * Kvaran and Lockley, ''A Guide to the Architectural Sculpture of America'', unpublished manuscript

External links

*
Adolph A. Weinman Papers at the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtA.A. Weinman (1870-1952) at the R. W. Norton Art Gallery
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinman, Adolph Alexander 1870 births 1952 deaths Artists from Karlsruhe German emigrants to the United States American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Art Students League of New York alumni 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists National Sculpture Society members Sculptors from New York (state) American currency designers Coin designers Olympic competitors in art competitions