Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture ''

The Minute Man ''The Minute Man'' is an 1874 sculpture by Daniel Chester French in Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts. It was created between 1871 and 1874 after extensive research, and was originally intended to be made of stone. T ...

'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Family

French was the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of

William Merchant Richardson William Merchant Richardson (January 4, 1774 – March 15, 1838) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts and chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Biography He was born in Pelham in the Province of New ...

(1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire; and of

Henry Flagg French Henry Flagg French (August 14, 1813 – November 29, 1885) was an American agriculturalist, inventor, lawyer, judge, postmaster, writer, assistant secretary of the treasury, and the first president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (no ...

(1813–1885). His siblings were Henriette Van Mater French Hollis (1839–1911), Sarah Flagg French Bartlett (1846–1883), and

William M.R. French William Merchant Richardson French (1843–1914) was an American engineer. French first came to Chicago in 1867 to pursue a career in civil engineering and landscaping. While working in Chicago, he garnered a national reputation for his lectures ...

(1843–1914). He was the uncle of Senator Henry F. Hollis.

Life and career

French was born in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, to Henry Flagg French (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, Assistant US Treasury Secretary, and author of a book that described the French drain, and his wife Anne Richardson. In 1867, French moved with his family to

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...

, where he was a neighbor and friend of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

, and the

Alcott family Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...

. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by Louisa May Alcott's sister

May Alcott Abigail May Alcott Nieriker (July 26, 1840 – December 29, 1879) was an American artist and the youngest sister of Louisa May Alcott. She was the basis for the character AmyDinitia SmithFrom Alcott, a Parable for a Spirited Niece."The New York ...

Daniel Chester French in his New York studio

French's early education included training in anatomy with

William Rimmer William Rimmer (20 February 181620 August 1879) was an American artist born in Liverpool, England. Biography William Rimmer was the son of a French refugee, who emigrated to Nova Scotia, where he was joined by his wife and child in 1818, and ...

and in drawing with

William Morris Hunt William Morris Hunt (March 31, 1824September 8, 1879) was an American painter. Born into the political Hunt family of Vermont, he trained in Paris with the realist Jean-François Millet and studied under him at the Barbizon artists’ colony, be ...

. French spent a year studying at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and also several years in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy, studying in the studio of Thomas Ball. French first earned acclaim for ''

'', commissioned by the town of Concord, Massachusetts, which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the

Battle of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, ...

. He soon established his own studio, first in Washington, DC, moving later to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and then to New York City. French's reputation grew with his ''Statue of the Republic'' for the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

of 1893, in Chicago. Other memorable works by French include: the ''First Division Monument'' and the ''Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain'' in Washington; ''John Harvard'',

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

; bronze doors for the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonwea ...

; and ''

Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, ...

'' at the US Custom House, New York (now the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House). In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, French collaborated with architect

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–1922), which was his final project. Education and early career Henr ...

on numerous memorials around the country and on the

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW t ...

fountain in Washington, DC. In 1893, French was a founding 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 he was appointed a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1913. French also became a member of 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 ...

(1901), the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

(which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the

Architectural League The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

, and the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

, of Rome. He was a trustee of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York City, and a co-founder of the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

. He was a Chevalier of the French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and was awarded a medal of honor from the

Paris Exposition of 1900 The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...

; 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 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 ...

, serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915. In 1917, French and a colleague, H. Augustus Lukeman, designed the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

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….". In collaboration with

Edward Clark Potter Edward Clark Potter (November 26, 1857 – June 21, 1923) was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His most famous works are the marble lions, nicknamed ''Patience'' and ''Fortitude'', in front of the New Yor ...

he modeled the

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

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 Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General of the United States ...

statue in

Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

, commissioned by the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association); and the

equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker An equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker (sometimes called ''General Joseph Hooker'') is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, facing Beacon Street in Boston, in the United States. Hooker, a native of Hadley, Massachusetts, was a Unite ...

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 Walter Leighton Clark (1859–1935) was an American businessman, inventor, and artist based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and New York City. Biography Among other achievements, in 1923 he founded with John Singer Sargent the Grand Central Art ...

and others, he was also one of the founders of the Berkshire Playhouse, which later became the Berkshire Theatre Festival. In 1917, Harvard's citation in conferring an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

referred to his statue of Emerson 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".Callan, Richard L
100 Years of Solitude: John Harvard Finishes His First Century
''The Harvard Crimson''. April 28, 1984. Retrieved October 13, 2012Harvard Alumni Bulletin v.19
/ref> French also taught; among his pupils was the sculptor

Edith Howland Edith Howland (1863–1949) was an American sculptor. Born in Auburn, New York, Auburn, New York (state), New York, Howland studied with Gustave Michel, Daniel Chester French, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens; she received an honorable mention at the Pa ...

. French died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1931 at age 81 and was buried in

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thin ...

Legacy

Chesterwood Chesterwood is a hamlet in Northumberland, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north-west of Haydon Bridge on the South Tyne, west of Hexham. It includes a number of "Bastle Houses" from the 17th Century, originally built to prot ...

, French's summer home and studio – designed by his architect friend and frequent collaborator

– is now a historic site owned and operated by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

. *In 1940, French was selected as one of five artists to be honored in the 35-stamp "Famous Americans" series. *

Chester French Chester French was an American indie pop band consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maxwell Drummey. They met as college students at Harvard University, naming their band ...

was an American indie band named for the artist. * "Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor" (2022) is a documentary film by

Eduardo Montes-Bradley Eduardo Montes-Bradley is a documentary filmmaker. His most recent works are ''Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor'' and ''Black Fiddlers''. Life Montes-Bradley first appeared mentioned in Margareta Vinterheden's ''Man maste ju leva', Swe ...

produced in association with

and the

.HD, 60 minutes.

Works

Notable public monuments

*''

'' at the

Old North Bridge Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

, (1874) *Bust of Major General William Francis Bartlett at Memorial Hall, Harvard University, (1881) *'' John Harvard'',

Harvard Yard Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center and modern crossroads. It contains most of the freshman dormitories, Harvard's most important libraries, Memorial Church, sever ...

, (1884) *'' Lewis Cass'',

National Statuary Hall The National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along th ...

, Washington DC, (1889) *''

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the education of the deaf in North America, and he be ...

and

Alice Cogswell Alice Cogswell (August 31, 1805 – December 30, 1830) was the inspiration to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet for the creation of the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Cogswell and Gallaudet At the age of two, Cogswell became il ...

'' (1889), Gallaudet University, Washington, DC *''

Thomas Starr King Thomas Starr King (December 17, 1824 – March 4, 1864), often known as Starr King, was an American Universalist and Unitarian minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War, and Freemason. Starr King spoke z ...

monument''

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, (1891) * Statue of ''The Republic'', the colossal centerpiece of the

, Chicago, 1893. His 24-foot gilt-bronze reduced version made in 1918 survives in Chicago. *''

John Boyle O'Reilly John Boyle O'Reilly (28 June 1844 – 10 August 1890) was an Irish poet, journalist, author and activist. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australi ...

Memorial'', intersection of Boylston Street and the Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, (1897) *''

Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799July 13, 1859) was an American lawyer, orator, and Senator who represented Massachusetts as a member of the Whig Party. He is regarded as one of the greatest American lawyers of the 19th century, arguing over a th ...

memorial'', Old Suffolk County Court House, Boston, Massachusetts, (1898) *'' Richard Morris Hunt Memorial'', on the perimeter wall of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, at 5th Avenue at 70th Street, opposite the

Frick Collection The Frick Collection is an art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection (normally at the Henry Clay Frick House, currently at the 945 Madison Avenue#2021–present: Frick Madison, Frick Madison) features Old Master paintings and Europe ...

, in New York City, (1900) *'' Commodore George H. Perkins Monument'' at the

New Hampshire State House The New Hampshire State House, located in Concord at 107 North Main Street, is the state capitol building of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor, and Executive Council. The building was constructed on a ...

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

(1902) *'' Alma Mater'' (1903), on the campus of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

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 ...

Statue of Wendell Phillips A statue of Wendell Phillips (sometimes called ''Wendell Phillips'') is installed in Boston's Public Garden (Boston), Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Description and history The bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French was cas ...

, Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts * ''The Four Continents – Asia, America, Europe, and Africa'', a group of four statues outside the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

at the

Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (originally the New York Custom House) is a government building, museum, and former custom house at 1 Bowling Green, near the southern end of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by Cas ...

, Manhattan, NYC (1907) *

George Robert White Memorial The George Robert White Memorial, also known as ''The Spirit of Giving'', is an outdoor memorial commemorating George Robert White by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon, installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. stat ...

, Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts * Statue of Samuel Spencer, first president of Southern Railway, located in front of Goode Building (Norfolk Southern offices) on Peachtree Street in Midtown

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, (1910) *''

August Meyer August Robert Meyer (August 20, 1851 – December 1, 1905) was an American mining engineer, founding organizer of Leadville, Colorado, and developed the park and boulevard system for Kansas City, Missouri as first president of the Commission of P ...

Memorial'', 10th and The Paseo,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

(1909) * James Oglethorpe Monument, Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia (1910) *'' Standing Lincoln'' at the

Nebraska State Capitol The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 19 ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, (1912) *''Brooklyn'' and ''Manhattan'', seated figures from the Manhattan Bridge,

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

in Brooklyn, New York, (1915)
Minuteman

designer,

Jno. Williams, Inc. Jno. Williams, Inc. was a prominent American foundry. Located in New York City, it was established in 1875, incorporated in 1905, and dissolved in 1956. History The foundry's founder, John Williams, was a former employee of Tiffany & Company. Th ...

(NY) founder,

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

. (1915) *''

The Spirit of Life ''The Spirit of Life'' is a 1914 sculpture in Saratoga Springs, New York, by the American sculptor Daniel Chester French. Overview ''The Spirit of Life'' began as a commission for a memorial to the famous Wall Street financier Spencer Trask (18 ...

'', memorial to

Spencer Trask Spencer Trask (September 18, 1844 – December 31, 1909) was an American financier, philanthropist, and venture capitalist. Beginning in the 1870s, Trask began investing and supporting entrepreneurs, including Thomas Edison's invention of the el ...

, in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, at Congress Park, 1915 *''

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 ...

'' in the Lincoln Memorial (1914–22), executed by the Piccirilli Brothers. *''The Weaver'', outside the Peace Dale Library in

South Kingstown South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

(1919). *''

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

Memorial'', on the perimeter of

Prospect Park (Brooklyn) Prospect Park is an urban park in Brooklyn, New York City. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum, Gr ...

, at 9th Street and Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, New York, (1917) *'' Samuel Francis du Pont Memorial Fountain'',

, Washington DC (1921) *

Alfred Tredway White Alfred Tredway White (May 28, 1846 – January 29, 1921) was an American housing reformer and philanthropist, and was known as "Brooklyn's first citizen." He developed the Home Buildings (1877), Tower Buildings (1879, now Cobble Hill Towers) ...

Memorial,

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is a botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1910 using land from Mount Prospect Park in central Brooklyn, adjacent to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. The garden holds ...

architect (1921) *''

Russell Alger Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...

Memorial Fountain'',

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 (1921). *''Marquis de Lafayette'' Statue,

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

campus,

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

(1921). *''Gale Park War Memorial & Park'',

(1922) *Bust of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

and reliefs of

Boabdil Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الثاني عشر, Abū ʿAbdi-llāh Muḥammad ath-thānī ʿashar) (c. 1460–1533), known in Europe as Boabdil (a Spanish rendering of the name ''Abu Abdallah''), was the ...

and

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

for the Washington Irving Memorial, Irvington, New York, (1927) *'' Beneficence'', Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. (1930) *''

William Henry Seward Memorial The William Henry Seward Memorial is located along Main Street (New York State Route 17A, NY 17A/New York State Route 94, 94) in downtown Florida, Orange County, New York, Florida, New York. It commemorates the life of William Henry Seward, Seward, ...

'' in Florida, New York (1930) *''Death and the Wounded Soldier'' aka ''Death and Youth'', The Chapel of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire *''James Woods, “Uncle Jimmy” Green'',

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, Lawrence, KS. (1924) *'' Gen. William Franklin Draper'', Draper Memorial Park,

Milford, Massachusetts Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th c ...

. (1912)

Gallery

File:John Harvard statue.jpg, '' John Harvard'' (1884),

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

File:2004-08-08 1580x2800 chicago republic.jpg, Statue of ''The Republic'', (1893, reduced vers. 1918),

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

File:Oreillymemorial.jpg,

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 The Richard Morris Hunt Memorial is an exedra of granite and marble, dedicated to the memory of the architect Richard Morris Hunt, designed by Bruce Price with three sculptures by Daniel Chester French, a bust of Hunt, and two flanking statues r ...

File:Commodore George Hamilton Perkins crop.jpg, Statue of George H. Perkins (1902),

File:Civil War Monument to Melvin Brothers, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA - March 2016.JPG, ''Melvin Memorial'' (1908),

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground at the Old Dutch ...

File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG,

Dupont Circle Fountain The Dupont Circle Fountain, formally known as the Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain, is a fountain located in the center of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. It honors Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, a prominent American ...

(1921), Dupont Circle, Washington DC File:RussellAlgersfoundGCircParkdetroit.jpg,

Russell A. Alger Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...

Fountain (1921),

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:Lady Wisconsin.jpg, ''

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 ...

'' (1920), Wisconsin Capitol Building,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

File:Westinghouse Plaque Schenley Park.JPG, ''Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930),

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. File:George Westinghouse Memorial2.jpg, ''American Youth, Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania File:Jurisprudence by DC French.jpg, ''Jurisprudence'', Federal Building, (1910)

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

File:P1058695a.jpg, ''The Spirit of Life'' (1915), Congress Park,

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

, NY File:EB1911 Plate VI. v24, pg.507, Fig 2.jpg, ''Indian Corn''
(Bull by

)

Architectural sculpture

2010 Appellate courthouse Daniel Chester French Justice

*''Peace and Vigilance'' (alternatively ''America at War and Peace'') US Customhouse & Post Office, St. Louis, Missouri,

Alfred B. Mullett Alfred Bult Mullett (April 7, 1834 – October 20, 1890) was a British-American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government build ...

architect (1876–1882) *Pediment, New Hampshire Historic Society Building,

Guy Lowell Guy Lowell (August 6, 1870 – February 4, 1927), was an American architect and landscape architect. Biography Born in Boston, Lowell was the son of Mary Walcott (Goodrich) and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lowe ...

, architect (1909–1911) *Bronze doors, Boston Public Library,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, McKim, Mead & White architects, (1884–1904) *''Justice,''

Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State The Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State, First Department (also known as Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York) is a historic court house located at 35 East 25th Street at the corner of Madison Avenue, acro ...

, Manhattan, New York,

James Brown Lord James Brown Lord (26 April 1859 — 1 June 1902) was an American architect, working in a Beaux-Arts idiom, with a practice in New York City. His Appellate Court House was his most prominent commission, noted at the time of his premature death, ...

architect (1900) *''

'',

, Manhattan, New York,

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and ...

architect, (1904, with Adolph A. Weinman) *''

Progress of the State ''Progress of the State'' is the title of a group of sculptural figures that sits above the south portico, at the main entrance to the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, the state capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The allegorical sta ...

'', quadriga, Six statues on entablature,

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital city of Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office o ...

, St. Paul, Minnesota,

architect (1907) *''Jurisprudence'' and ''Commerce,''

Federal Building A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government". Federal buildings in ...

, Cleveland, Ohio,

Arnold Brunner Arnold William Brunner (September 25, 1857 – February 14, 1925) was an American architect who was born and died in New York City. Brunner was educated in New York and in Manchester, England. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wh ...

architect (1910) *''John Hampden,'' and ''Edward I'', two attic figures,

Cuyahoga County Courthouse The Cuyahoga County Courthouse stretches along Lakeside Avenue at the north end of the Cleveland Mall in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The building was listed on the National Register along with the mall district in 1975. Other notable buildings of t ...

, Cleveland, Ohio, Lehman & Schmidt architects (1908, 1911) *Attic Figures, pediment,

, NYC, McKim, Mead & White architects (1912) *''

'', figure surmounting the dome,

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wi ...

, George B. Post architect (1914) *''

'' (1920), Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC,

architect (1914–1922) *''Peace,'' sculpture for the Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

Triumphal Arch and Colonnade that was built in

Madison Square Madison Square is a town square, public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway at 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. The square ...

in Manhattan, New York, in 1900. *''DeWitt Clinton'', one of three statues prepared in 1903 for the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building at 65 Liberty Street, Manhattan, New York. The statues were removed in 1926. *''Greek Epic''; ''Lyric Poetry'', and ''Religion''. Sculptures for the 1908 Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences building on Eastern Parkway in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. *''Power and Wisdom''. Sculpture for the 1919 First World War Memorial. Since destroyed.

Cemetery monuments

*''

Death and the Sculptor ''Death and the Sculptor'', also known as the Milmore Monument and ''The Angel of Death and the Young Sculptor'' is a sculpture in bronze, and one of the most important and influential works of art created by sculptor Daniel Chester French. The ...

'', a memorial for the grave of the sculptor

Martin Milmore __NOTOC__ Martin Milmore (1844–1883) was an American sculptor. Life and career Martin Milmore was born in Sligo, Ireland on September 14, 1844. He immigrated to Boston at age seven, graduated from Boston Latin School in 1860, took art lesso ...

in the Forest Hills cemetery,

; this received a medal of honor at

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, in 1900. (1893) *''Clark Memorial'',

Forest Hills Cemetery Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a public ...

Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commu ...

, (1894) *''Chapman Memorial'',

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, (1897) *''Angel of Peace'' –

George Robert White George Robert White (1847–1922) was an American philanthropist. Biography George Robert White was born in Lynnfield, Massachusetts on July 19, 1847. He was a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts for most of his life. As a boy he began work ...

, Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, (1898) *''

Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial The Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial, also known as the Black Angel, is a historic object located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. This is the only work in Iowa by the American sculptor Daniel Chester French. with The Lost-wax casting, cast bronz ...

'',

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

, Iowa. Often referred to as the "Black Angel". (1918) *''Memory, the

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer ...

Memorial'',

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

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

, architect (1906) *'' Slocum Memorial'',

*''Melvin Memorial'',

, architect (1906–1908)

Selected museum pieces

*''The Angel of Death and the Sculptor'',

*''

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

'',

, marble carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, 1917–19, from a bronze of 1886–87, revised in 1909. *''Mourning Victory'',

*''And the Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair…'', For French, this was an unusually erotic sculpture depicting the verse from Genesis whereby a fallen angel seduces a mortal woman thus producing the mythical

Nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are large and strong. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. ...

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

; Washington DC, signed and dated 1923.

Miscellaneous pieces

*''The Chicago Incendiary'': edition of a small bisque statuette depicting the cow alleged to have started the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871 *''

'': depicted on a US postage stamp issued in 1925, commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord *''Bust of John Brewster'', who endowed

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and post-g ...

in 1887. File:Lexington Concord-5c.jpg, Daniel Chester French's ''

'' depicted on US Postage Stamp, 1925 Issue, 5¢ Image:Daniel Chester French 1940 Issue-5c.jpg,

References

; Citations

External links

*

Chesterwood Estate and Museum
��Summer home, studio, and garden of sculptor Daniel Chester French
"F"
(pp. 158–182; see p. 177) in ''Members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: 1780–2012''
Daniel Chester French exhibition brochure
from the

"Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor"
a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Daniel Chester 1850 births 1931 deaths 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Artists of the Boston Public Library Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters National Sculpture Society members People from Concord, Massachusetts People from Exeter, New Hampshire People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts