John Albert Wilson (1877 – December 8, 1954) was a Canadian sculptor who produced public art for commissions throughout North America. He was a professor in the

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

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 high ...

for 32 years. He is most famous for his

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Monuments: the statue on the Confederate Student Memorial (''

Silent Sam The Confederate Monument, University of North Carolina, commonly known as ''Silent Sam'', is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier by Canadian sculptor John A. Wilson, which once stood on McCorkle Place of the University of North Carolin ...

'') on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the Washington Grays Monument (''Pennsylvania Volunteer'') in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Renowned sculptor and art historian

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for deca ...

wrote of the latter work, "No American sculpture, however, has surpassed the compelling power which John A. Wilson put into his steady, motionless 'Pennsylvania Volunteer'." Wilson created his studio (the "Waban Studio") at

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...

, known as a pioneering master of

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

, said the studio "is the most beautiful in the world."

Life and career

He was born in

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...

(Potter's Brook), son of John and Annie (Cameron) Wilson. His grandfather was a stonemason who emigrated from

Beauly Beauly ( ; ; gd, A' Mhanachainn) is a village in the Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness. The land around B ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Wilson attended New Glasgow High School. At the age of fifteen he created a sculpture of a lion out of freestone (1891). In 1896, at age nineteen, he went to Boston to study art. During the day he attended the

Cowles Art School Cowles Art School (Cowles School of Art) was established in 1883, in a studio building located at 145 Dartmouth Street in Boston, Massachusetts. It was one of the largest art schools in the city and boasted an enrollment of several hundred until it ...

of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he studied drawing and painting under

Bela Pratt Bela Lyon Pratt (December 11, 1867 – May 18, 1917) was an American sculptor from Connecticut. Life Pratt was born in Norwich, Connecticut, to Sarah (Whittlesey) and George Pratt, a Yale-educated lawyer. His maternal grandfather, Oramel Whittle ...

. He worked in the evenings as an usher in a theatre, and he worked on the weekends as a professional boxer at the Boston Athletic Club. While at the Fine Arts school, Wilson displayed his work ''The Crawling Panther'' (also known as the ''Stalking Panther'') at the

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club, Boston, Massachusetts, serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceived in Boston in 1854 with the co ...

(1905). He received attention from ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' and '' Boston Herald'' newspapers for this work. The latter wrote that it was a "powerful work by a very young man". He graduated from the

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is the art school of Tufts University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusett ...

in 1905. He next worked as an assistant to

Henry Kitson Vice Admiral Sir Henry Karslake Kitson KBE, CB (22 June 1877 – 19 February 1952) was a Royal Navy officer who commanded the 3rd Battle Squadron. Naval career Kitson joined the Royal Navy in 1891 and served in World War I. He was made Co ...

. Beginning in 1906, Wilson taught classes for the

Copley Society of Art The Copley Society of art is America's oldest non-profit art association. It was founded in 1879 by the first graduating class of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and continues to play an important role in promoting its member artists and th ...

in Boston. He joined the board of directors in 1913 and taught there for 32 years until 1945. In 1927, he was named Director of Classes. One of his students at the Society was John Hovannes (1900-1973). In 1917, Wilson started to teach at

when the scholarly

Abbott Lawrence Lowell Abbott Lawrence Lowell (December 13, 1856 – January 6, 1943) was an American educator and legal scholar. He was President of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. With an "aristocratic sense of mission and self-certainty," Lowell cut a large f ...

was president. He was appointed Instructor in Modelling, School of Architecture, Harvard University. He served at Harvard for 32 years, retiring in 1949. During his tenure at the Copley Society and Harvard, Wilson also taught in various other places. Wilson taught for 5 years at the

Worcester Art Museum The Worcester Art Museum, also known by its acronym WAM, houses over 38,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day and representing cultures from all over the world. WAM opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and ranks among th ...

(1917–22), where he would complete the ''Hector Monument'' (1923) with his student Evangeline Eells Wheeler. He taught one year at the

(1921–22), three years at Children's Walker School, and three years at

Bradford College Bradford College is a further and higher education college in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, with approximately 25,000 students. The college offers a range of full and part-time courses from introductory level through to postgraduate l ...

. He also taught at his own studio in Chestnut Hill. In 1913, he had built his home and his "Waban Studio" at 101 Waban Hill Rd, Chestnut Hill, where he lived for 36 years. After 50 years, when he retired, Wilson returned in 1949 to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He lived there for five years at East River, Potter's Bridges, New Glasgow.

Death

Wilson died on December 8, 1954 at

Aberdeen Regional Hospital The Aberdeen Hospital is a 24-hour emergency (Level II trauma service), inpatient, outpatient, and community-based services hospital in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. The hospital has been in existence since 1895. It serves ap ...

, New Glasgow. Before his passing, he donated property to the Aberdeen Hospital. It was later replaced by Glen Haven Manor now stands. A plaque in his honor hangs in the Hospital's cafeteria. He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery,

Works

American Civil War

The year after Wilson graduated from

(1905), he received his first major recognition when he was commissioned by the State of Pennsylvania to make the Washington Grays Monument in

to the men who served in the American Civil War. In 1909, Wilson's soldier's monument for all soldiers of war was unveiled on Dudley's Town Common (in front of the First Congregational Church),

Dudley, Massachusetts Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2020 census. History Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named for landholders Paul and Will ...

. A crowd of 1200 was in attendance. Four-sided and capped with the sculpture of an American eagle, the multiwar memorial has inscriptions for the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

: "To the memory of Dudley's Heroes who bore arms to found an Independent Nation - 1776"; the

: "Her Patriots of 1861-1865 who offered their lives to Preserve this Union"; and the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

/ Philippine–American War: "her soldiers in the Spanish-Philippines War, 1878." In 1909, Wilson created the "Massachusetts Monument" in the

Baton Rouge National Cemetery Baton Rouge National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in East Baton Rouge Parish, in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It encompasses , and as of 2020, had over 5,000 interments. The cemetery was added to the National Regis ...

. The commemorative monument on its grounds, was erected to honor Massachusetts sailors and soldiers who died in Civil War battles in the Gulf region. The granite monument is inscribed with the names of the Infantries and Light Batteries that served in the Gulf theater of operations. Massachusetts Governor

Ebenezer Sumner Draper Eben (sometimes incorrectly Ebenezer) Sumner Draper (June 17, 1858 – April 9, 1914) was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was for many years a leading figure in what later became the Draper Corporation, the d ...

attended the proceedings. In 1911, he created a statue of Private Daniel A. Bean of

Brownfield, Maine Brownfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,631 at the 2020 census. Brownfield is home to the Stone Mountain Arts Center. History The area was once territory of the Pequawket Abenaki Indians, whose main ...

11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 11th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 11th Maine Infantry was organized in Augusta, Maine, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on November 12, ...

. Major Sylvanus Bangs Bean served with the 11th Maine Regiment along with his son, Daniel A. Bean. Daniel was killed in Hampton, Virginia as a result of being shot in both thighs during the war. Daniel died before his father Sylvanus could see him at the field hospital. Daniel died on 06/06/1864 and is buried at Plot: D 2820, Hampton National Cemetery, City of Hampton, Virginia, USA. The statue of Daniel Bean stands in Brownfield, Maine, where the roads to Hiram and Denmark diverge. Of all the Civil War memorials erected by Maine towns, this remarkable monument was the only one cast in the image of a real person. The absence of weapons distinguishes it even further. The boy stands as he would have on his last day at home, taking the Oath of Induction. In 1913, Wilson was commissioned by the North Carolina Chapter of the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

to make the Confederate Monument, later known as

, as a monument to the students of

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

who served in the Confederate forces. It was the first major work Wilson created in his new "Waban Studio". Although this statue, unlike that of Bean, is armed, it has been described as "silent" because the soldier has no cartridge box on his belt so he cannot fire his gun. In August 2018 the statue was torn down by protestors; as of February 2020 it is not on display and no decision has been made on its future disposition.

Firemen's Memorial, Boston

Firemen's Monument, Boston by John A Wilson- far

In 1909, Wilson created Firemen's Memorial (Boston) for the Firemen's Lot at

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, Boston. Each year on the second Sunday in June, memorial services sponsored by the Charitable Association of the Boston Fire Department are held at the Firemen's Memorial at Forest Hills Cemetery in order to pay tribute to deceased members so they would be assured of a decent and final resting place and they would not necessarily end up in Pauper's Field.

Harvard University

While teaching at Harvard University (1917–46), Wilson made numerous sculptures of figures connected to the University. Perhaps the best known figure is the

Janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...

in the

Fogg Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

entitled "George". Articles with a photo of George Archambeau were printed in both ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' when the bust was unveiled in September 1932. Wilson also made two busts of

William Crowninshield Endicott William Crowninshield Endicott (November 19, 1826 – May 6, 1900) was an American politician and Secretary of War in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland (1885–1889). Early life Endicott was born in Salem, Massachusetts o ...

, one in the Fogg Museum and the other in

Harvard University Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

(1932). Wilson also made two busts of Harvard president

. One is a marble bust in the Faculty Room, University Hall (Harvard University) (1930) and the other is a bronze bust at

Lowell House Lowell House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University, located at 10 Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Officially, it is named for the Lowell family, but an orna ...

Residence,

Wilson also made the mould for the commorative punch bowl and dishes for Harvard University's tercentennial (1936). One of Wilson's most famous Harvard graduates was sculptor

Wheeler Williams Wheeler Williams (November 30, 1897 – August 12, 1972) was an American sculptor, born in Chicago, Illinois. Life and career Williams studied sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He attended Yale, where he graduated ...

who wrote to him, :How very lucky I was to find myself in your class in the basement of Robison Hall. If it had not been for that, classes at the

and Sundays in your studio, I fear my life long dream of being a sculptor would not have materialized. Where anybody today could get the sound training you gave us, I have no idea.

Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia monuments were made in the same year (1923). The Hector Pioneer was made in the

. Wilson's assistant for the work was Evangeline (Eells) Wheeler. The sculpture was unveiled 17 July 1923 on the 150 Anniversary of the arrival of the ship

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

. The Governor General of Canada Field Marshal

Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, (11 September 1862 – 6 June 1935) was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since the Canadian Confederation. Known to friends as "Bu ...

led the proceedings.

The Lion Series

Wilson made a series of nine lions in freestone early in his career. The location of six of these lions is unknown. Three of these lions remain in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. One of the lions is on the grounds of the Lionstone Inn, an establishment named after the sculpture. The other two lions are at the Carmichael-Stewart House Museum. One of these Wilson made at the age of 15 before he moved to Boston (1891). The other lion at the museum Wilson made while studying in Boston (1902). The sculpture representing Great Britain in South Africa during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

and was noted as being "an admirable piece of modelling from one of his age". In March 1902 the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

accepted this lion for its annual exhibition in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Other

* Monument on the American Civil War

Antietam National Battlefield Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862. ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

* Major Henry Gustavus Dorr, made at

Grundmann Studios Grundmann Studios (1893–1917) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a building on Clarendon Street in the Back Bay. It contained artist's workspaces and multipurpose function rooms Copley Hall and Allston Hall. Prior to 1893, it functioned as a s ...

(1915) *

at the

(1932) *

Death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...

of Admiral

William Sims William Sowden Sims (October 15, 1858 – September 28, 1936) was an admiral in the United States Navy who fought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the navy. During World War I, he commanded all United States naval force ...

* Soldier's monument

* Massachusetts Monument,

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...

, Marble Bust, Faculty Room, University Hall (Harvard University) (1930) *

, Bronze Bust,

* "Dancing Figure", Algonquin Club, Boston * Symbolic Panels,

Brookline High School Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts. It is a part of Public Schools of Brookline. The Headmaster is Anthony Meyer who holds a Master of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard ...

, Boston (1923) * "Panther" * "Stalking Panther", Boston Art Club Exhibition (1905) * "The Chase" * "Goat", Sandy,

Poland Spring Poland Spring is a brand of bottled water, produced in Poland, Maine. It is named after the original natural spring in the town of Poland, Maine it was drawn from. Today it is a subsidiary of BlueTriton Brands, formerly Nestlé Waters North Amer ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

* Alexander Forrester tablet,

Nova Scotia Community College Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as NSCC, is a community college serving the province of Nova Scotia through a network of 14 campuses and three community learning centres. The college delivers over 130 programs in five academ ...

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Mi'kmaq: ''Wagobagitik''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Truru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth at ...

(c. 1923)

Image gallery

File:Silent Sam.jpg, Confederate soldier

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

File:Massachusetts Monument by John Wilson Baton Rouge National Cemetery.jpg, Massachusetts Monument,

(1909) File:LawrenceLowellHarvardUniversityByJohnAWilson.jpg,

File:HarvardUniversityDishesByJohnWilson1936.jpg, Harvard University Commemorative Pieces - Tercentennial (1936) File:HectorPioneerByJohnWilsonPictouNS.jpg, Hector Pioneer (1923) by John Wilson,

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glas ...

File:Forrester Monument By John Wilson Truro Nova Scotia.jpg, Alexander Forrester Monument (c.1923), NSCC, Truro, Nova ScotiaHistory of the Forrester Memorial
/ref> File:Brownfield Maine Civil War Monument by John Wilson.jpg,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

private Daniel A. Bean of

References

Texts * Eric Barker. "John Wilson: Famous Nova Scotian from N.G." ''The Evening News'', New Glasgow, N.S., 3 May 1972: * James Cameron. ''More About New Glasgow''. 1974. pp. 191–195 * Clyde MacDonald. ''More Notable Pictonians.'' 2004. pp. 48–85. * G.E.G. MacLaren. "Nova Scotia's First Sculpture John A. Wilson. ''Nova Scotia Historical Quarterly,'' Vol. #3:2 (1973): 4 pp. Endnotes

External links

Firemen Fighter's Memorial, Forest Hills, Boston

Massachusetts_Monument_Baton_Rouge_Louisiana

* ttp://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8000/SEARCH/BASIS/aich/advanced/www/DDW?W%3DARDD_INDEX++%3D++++1954%26M%3D20%26K%3D17479%26R%3DY%26U%3D1 Artists in Canada
Grey Box Collection

Lionstone Inn, Pictou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John (sculptor) 1877 births 1954 deaths Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Artists from Nova Scotia Harvard Graduate School of Design faculty Date of birth missing 20th-century sculptors Canadian expatriates in the United States