Jakob Otto Schweizer (March 27, 1863, Zurich - 1955) was a Swiss-American sculptor noted for his work on war memorials.

Biography

Born in Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Schweizer enrolled in that city's Industrial Art School in 1879. In 1882, he entered the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in

Dresden, Germany Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth la ...

, where he studied with

Johannes Schilling Johannes Schilling (23 June 1828 in Mittweida – 21 March 1910 in Klotzsche near Dresden) was a German sculptor. Life and work Johannes Schilling was the youngest of five children. A year after his birth, his family moved to Dresden, where he g ...

. He then lived in Florence, Italy, 1889-94. He arrived 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 ...

in 1894, and settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

the following year. He was a member of Philadelphia's German Society of Pennsylvania, and through its connections he obtained his first major commission, a bronze statue of General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1910–11). He was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. Schweizer created 7 sculptures for the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot ...

, more than any other artist. Among these was a larger-than-life statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Pennsylvania State Memorial. He modeled another Lincoln statue for the Memorial Room at the Union League of Philadelphia, and flanked it with 8 portrait reliefs of Union officers. His only equestrian statue, ''

Baron von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...

'' (1921), is in

Milwaukee 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. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. He modeled dozens of busts,

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s and medallions, and exhibited at the 1916 continuation of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, 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 List of Ca ...

. His ''

All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors ''All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors'' is a war memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that honors the state's African American servicemen who fought in American conflicts from the American Revolutionary War to World War I. Commiss ...

'' (1934), originally placed in Philadelphia's

Fairmount Park 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 ...

, was relocated to

Logan Square Logan Square may refer to: * Logan Square, Chicago, a neighborhood on the north side of the city * Logan Circle (Philadelphia) or Logan Square, a park in Philadelphia **Logan Square, Philadelphia Logan Square is a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Bou ...

in 1994. Schweizer died in 1955, at the age of 92.

Selected works

*Civil War Monument (1909),

Colorado State Capitol The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, United States, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. History ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, with Captain John D. Howland. *Statue of General

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman, Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, and political figure in the newly independent United States. A Lutheran minister, he serve ...

(1910–11), Philadelphia Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, Philadelphia. *Statue of

(1912–14), Utica, New York. A 1915 replica of this with bas-relief is at

Valley Forge National Historical Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...

. *Bust of Joseph Johns (1913), Central Park, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. *Monument to Confederate Women (1913), Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas. *James Bartram Nicholson (1913),

Mount Peace Cemetery Mount Peace Cemetery is a cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is owned and operated by the Odd Fellows organization. It was established in 1865 and is located at 3111 West Lehigh Avenue, near the Laurel Hill Cemetery. The cemetery prope ...

, Philadelphia. *Relief bust of General John P. Taylor (1914), Church Hill Cemetery, Reedsville, Pennsylvania. *

Molly Pitcher Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Hays (American Revolutionary War), Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Ano ...

Monument (1916), Old Graveyard, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. *Reverend

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (an anglicanization of Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg) (September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists. Integral to the ...

Monument (1917), Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. *Statue of President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

(1918),

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,< ...

. *Statue of Senator George T. Oliver (19__), Rotunda,

Pennsylvania State Capitol The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg which was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative ...

, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. *Statue of General Thomas J. Stewart (19__), Rotunda,

, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. *Fort Stevens Monument and Marker (1920), Fort Stevens, Washington, DC. * Equestrian statue of Baron von Steuben (1921), Washington Park,

. *American Eagle (World War I Memorial) (1923), Chelten Square, E. Chelten Ave. & Wister St., Philadelphia. *

Schoonmaker Schoonmaker is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Martinus Schoonmaker (1737-1824), a Dutch clergyman of New York * Augustus Schoonmaker, Jr. (1828-1894), New York State Attorney General from 1877 to 1879 * Cornelius Corneliusen ...

Monument (1920s?),

Homewood Cemetery Homewood Cemetery is a historic urban cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Point Breeze and is bordered by Frick Park, the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, and the smaller Smithfield Cemetery. It was established i ...

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 ...

. *Lily Pond Railing (surrounding George Frampton's ''Peter Pan'' statue) (1930), Johnson Park,

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

. *

(1934),

, Philadelphia. Relocated from

West Fairmount Park 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 ...

in 1994. *The Last Supper (1940s?), Mount Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas. *The Last Supper (1944), Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg Battlefield

*President

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 ...

(1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. *General

David McMurtrie Gregg David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War. Early life and career Gregg was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of futu ...

(1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. *General Alfred Pleasonton (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. *General William Wells (1914), South Confederate Avenue. Another casting (1914) of this is at Battery Park,

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. *General

John Geary John White Geary (December 30, 1819February 8, 1873) was an American lawyer, politician, Freemason, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was the final alcalde and first mayor of San Francisco, a governor of the Kansas Territory, and ...

(c. 1914), Culp's Hill. *General

Alexander Hays Alexander Hays (July 8, 1819 – May 5, 1864) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War, killed in the Battle of the Wilderness. Early life and career Hays was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, the son of Samuel Hays, a member of Congress ...

(c. 1914), Ziegler's Grove. *General

Andrew A. Humphreys Andrew Atkinson Humphreys (November 2, 1810December 27, 1883), was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, and a Union General in the American Civil War. He served in senior positions in the Army of the Potomac, including division c ...

(1919), Emmitsburg Road.

Union League of Philadelphia

*President

(1915–17). *Relief bust of General

George Gordon Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. He ...

(1914–17). *Relief bust of General William T. Sherman (1914–17). *Relief bust of General

George H. Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...

(1914–17). *Relief bust of Admiral

David G. Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. ...

(1914–17). *Relief bust of General

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 ...

(1914–17). *Relief bust of General Phillip H. Sheridan (1914–17). *Relief bust of General

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

(1914–17). *Relief bust of General

(1914–17).

Gallery

File:Statuecoloradostatecapitol.JPG, ''Civil War Memorial'' (1909),

, with Captain John D. Howland. File:Peter Muhlenburg PMA Philly.JPG, ''General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg'' (1910–11), Philadelphia Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, Philadelphia. File:ArkConfWomenMem - 31409(77).JPG, ''Monument to Confederate Women'' (1913), Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas. File:Lincoln by J. Otto Schweizer 1913 p.66.jpg, ''President Abraham Lincoln'' (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial,

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Gen. Gregg by J. Otto Schweizer 1913 p.75.jpg, ''General David McMurtrie Gregg'' (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Gen. Pleasonton by J. Otto Schweizer 1913 p.73.jpg, ''General Alfred Pleasonton'' (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Statue of Gen. Wells at Gettysburg.jpg, ''General William Wells'' (1914),

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A replica is at Battery Park, Burlington, Vermont. File:Gettysburg Battlefield (3440837107).jpg, ''General John Geary'' (c. 1914),

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Gettysburg3.JPG, ''General Alexander Hays'' (c. 1914),

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Von Steuben at Valley Forge.jpg, ''Baron von Steuben'' (1915),

, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. File:General von Steuben Drilling Washingtons Army at Valley Forge.jpg, Pedestal bas-relief, ''Baron von Steuben'' statue (1915),

. File:Pastorius3.jpg, Model for a memorial to Francis Daniel Pastorius (before 1916, unbuilt). File:Muhlenberg Monument 2.JPG, ''Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Monument'' (1917), Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. File:LincolnUnderFireatFortStevensMarker.jpg, Bas-relief: ''Lincoln under Fire at Fort Stevens, July 12, 1864'' (1920), Fort Stevens, Washington, D.C. File:Schoonmaker Monument, Homewood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA - March 2016.JPG,

monument (1920s?),

Pittsburgh 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 ...

References

*Ernst Jockers, ''J. Otto Schweizer: The Man and His Work'', (Philadelphia: International Printing Company, 1953).

External links

J. Otto Schweizer at ArtNetJ. Otto Schweizer at AskArt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schweizer, J. Otto 1863 births 1955 deaths Artists from Zürich Swiss emigrants to the United States American people of Swiss-German descent Artists from Philadelphia Swiss sculptors 20th-century American sculptors 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors National Sculpture Society members Sculptors from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male artists