Henry Merwin Shrady (October 12, 1871 – April 12, 1922)
was an American sculptor, best known for the
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
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, ...
Background
Shrady was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. His father,
George Frederick Shrady, Sr.
George Frederick Shrady Sr. (January 13, 1830 – November 30, 1907) was an American physician active in the late 19th century. Note that a different birth date of January 14, 1837, is provided in the earlier non-encyclopedia source ''General Gra ...
, was one of the physicians who attended
Ulysses S. 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, he led the Union Ar ...
during the former president's struggle with
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...
.
In 1894, Shrady graduated from
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 ...
, where he was a member of the ''
Varsity Show
The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Col ...
'', and then spent one year at Columbia's law school. He left law school to join with his brother-in-law,
Jay Gould
Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...
(son of the financier
Edwin Gould), at the Continental Match Company. The company failed, and Shrady contracted
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
fever, which diverted him forever from the business world. His recuperation left spare time to pursue a growing interest in art.
Shrady's wife, Harrie Moore, submitted some of his paintings to an exhibition 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 f ...
without his knowledge, and they sold quickly. He then began to teach himself sculpture using zoo animals and his pets as models.
He modeled a series of popular bronze statuettes, mostly of animals. His first major commission came in 1901, for ''George Washington at Valley Forge'', an equestrian statue for Continental Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York.
Grant Memorial
Shrady and architect
Edward Pearce Casey won the competition to build the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in 1902. In the twenty years Shrady spent executing its sculpture program, he studied biology at the
American Museum of Natural History and dissected horses to gain a better understanding of animal anatomy.
The memorial was dedicated on April 27, 1922, two weeks after Shrady's death.
The Grant Memorial is described as "one of the most important sculptures in Washington" by
James M. Goode in ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.'' It consists of a colossal equestrian statue of Grant atop a marble pedestal with bas relief plaques, guarded by
four lions
''Four Lions'' (originally titled ''We Are Four Lions'') is a 2010 British political satire black comedy film directed by Chris Morris (in his directorial debut) and written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film, a jihad satire foll ...
. Large
sculpture groups of the Cavalry and
Artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
flank this to the north and south, with a reflecting pool to the west.
Legacy
In 1908, the
Roman Bronze Works Roman Bronze Works, now operated as Roman Bronze Studios, is a bronze foundry in New York City. Established in 1897 by Riccardo Bertelli, it was the first American foundry to specialize in the lost-wax casting method, and was the country's pre-emin ...
built a home and studio for Shrady at
White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
, image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png
, seal_link =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State
, su ...
. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1982 as the
Leo Friedlander Studio.
Shrady's papers are in the Archives of American Art at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
His son,
Frederick Charles Shrady (1907–1990), became a sculptor.
Selected works
Statuettes
* ''Bull Moose'' (1900)
* ''Empty Saddle'' (1900)
* ''Saving the Colors'' (c. 1900)
* ''Elk Buffalo ("Monarch of the Plains")'' (1901)
* ''Buffalo'' (1903)
* ''Fighting Buffalo'' (1903)
* ''Cavalry Charge'' (1902–1916, cast 1924),
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 ...
, New York City. This is a miniature version of the sculpture group from the Grant Memorial.
Sculptures
* ''
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 ...
at Valley Forge'' (1901–1906), Continental Army Plaza,
Brooklyn, New York
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 ...
.
**A 1925 replica is in Washington Square Park, Kansas City, Missouri.
* ''
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial'' (1902–1922), West Front,
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
,
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, Na ...
* ''General
Alpheus S. Williams Memorial'' (1912–1921),
Belle Isle Park
Belle Isle Park, known simply as Belle Isle (), is a island park in Detroit, Michigan, developed in the late 19th century. It consists of Belle Isle, an island in the Detroit River, as well as several surrounding islets. The U.S.-Canada border ...
,
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 ...
.
* ''
Robert Edward Lee Sculpture'' (1917–1924), Lee Park,
Charlottesville, Virginia. Completed by
Leo Lentelli
Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...
following Shrady's 1922 death.
* ''Jay Cooke Monument'' (1921), Jay Cooke Plaza,
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
.
Gallery
File:Washington at Roebling n S 5th Billyburg jeh.JPG, ''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 ...
at Valley Forge'' (1901–1906), Continental Army Plaza, Brooklyn, New York.
File:LeeEquChar3.jpg, '' Robert E. Lee'' (1917–1924, completed by Leo Lentelli
Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...
), Lee Park, Charlottesville, Virginia.
File:Jay Cooke.jpg, ''Jay Cooke Monument'' (1921), Jay Cooke Plaza, Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
.
General Alpheus Starkey Williams Memorial (1810 – 1878) Henry Merwin Shady (1912–21).jpg, General Alpheus Starkey Williams Memorial (1810 – 1878) Henry Merwin Shady (1912–1921) Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Michigan
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
* Montagna, Dennis R., ''Henry Merwin Shrady's Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington, D.C.: A Study in Iconography, Content and Patronage'', Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware, 1987
* Nawrocki, Dennis Alan and Thomas J. Holleman, ''Art in Detroit Public Places'', Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan, 1980
* Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, ''Mantle Fielding’s Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers'', Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986
* Taft, Lorado, ''The History of American Sculpture'', MacMillan Co., New York, NY, 1925
External links
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrady, Henry
1871 births
1922 deaths
Artists from New York City
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
American male sculptors
Sculptors from New York (state)
Columbia College (New York) alumni