William Clark Noble (February 10, 1858 – May 10, 1938) was an American sculptor best known for his monuments.

Early life

Noble was born on February 10, 1858 in

Gardiner, Maine Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner ...

. He was a son of Clark Noble, a ship’s captain, and Emma Freeman Noble, a descendant of Elder William Brewster, who came over on the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

''. After his father's death at sea, his mother, older brother, and infant Clark went to live on her father's farm in

Richmond, Maine Richmond is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,522 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area, situated at the head of Merrymeetin ...

. He studied with

Horatio Greenough Horatio Greenough (September 6, 1805 – December 18, 1852) was an American sculptor best known for his United States government commissions '' The Rescue'' (1837–50), ''George Washington'' (1840), and ''The Discovery of America'' (1840–4 ...

and Lorado Taft. Taft, in his ''History of American Sculpture'', remarked that Noble was one of a group of sculptors who had, "made something of a specialty of military figures."

Career

Noble designed coinage for

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. His Guatemalan quetzal (1925) and

Panamanian balboa The balboa (sign: B/.; ISO 4217: PAB) is, along with the United States dollar, one of the official currencies of Panama. It is named in honor of the Spanish explorer/conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The balboa is subdivided into 100 ''centé ...

(1931) each exchanged for one US dollar. In 1924, Noble was selected by the Woman's Universal Alliance to create the Mothers' Memorial to be erected 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, ...

in honor of motherhood and the world's great women. He was a member of the National Arts Club and the National Sculpture Society. "His best-known works include the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, and statues of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, and General ' Mad Anthony' Wayne for the 1904

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

in St. Louis."

Personal life

Noble was married three times, including his last marriage to the former Emile Berlin Bleecker. His son, William Clark Noble Jr., also became an artist. Noble died on May 10, 1938 in

He and his widow are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in South Gardiner, Maine.

Selected works

* Reverend Charles T. Brooks Memorial (1884), Channing Memorial Church, Newport, Rhode Island. ** ''Bas-relief portrait of Reverend Charles T. Brooks'' (1884),

Redwood Library and Athenaeum The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a subscription library, museum, rare book repository and research center founded in 1747, and located at 50 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The building, designed by Peter Harrison and completed ...

, Newport, Rhode Island. * ''Bust of John McCullough as Virginius'' (1888), McCullough grave, Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Lackme, architect. * ''Old Salt – Bust of Captain James Logan'' (1890). * ''Reverend

William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Channi ...

'' (1892–93), Touro Park, Newport, Rhode Island. * ''

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...

Loving Cup'' (1895–96), New Orleans Museum of Art. Modeled in plaster by Noble, cast in silver by Gorham Manufacturing Company. Features three 10.5 in (26.7 cm) figures of Jefferson in the roles of Rip van Winkle,

Dr. Pangloss ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

, and

Bob Acres Bob Acres is a character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ''The Rivals''. Acres was a coward, whose "courage always oozed out at his finger ends". He was popularly played in the 19th century by American actor Joseph Jefferson. (Jefferson named a ...

. Auctioned at Sotheby's New York, 21 January 2011, Lot 127. ** Statuette: ''Joseph Jefferson as Rip van Winkle'' (c. 1895). One of the figures from the loving cup. * ''Lion'' and ''Eagle'' (1897–98), Commercial Cable Company Building, 20-22 Broad Street, Manhattan, New York City, George Edward Harding & Gooch, architects (demolished c. 1960). The bronze figures stood upon

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

at the 5th story of the building's façade. They represented England and the United States – the two terminals of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable. * Bishop Phillips Brooks Memorial (1898), Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, Manhattan, New York City. A full-length bronze bas-relief portrait with a glass mosaic background by Louis Comfort Tiffany. * ''General Anthony Wayne'' (plaster, 1904). Exhibited at the

, St. Louis, Missouri. This and other larger-than-life statues of historical figures from the 1904 World's Fair decorated Pennsylvania Avenue during President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

's Inaugural parade, March 4, 1905. * ''Monsignor Doane'' (1908), Doane Park,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

'' or ''Lady of Wisdom'' (gilded copper, 1909),

Maine State House The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine, is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of the ...

dome,

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...

. The 15-foot (4.5 m) finial figure stands atop the

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

of the 185-foot (56.4 m) State House. * ''Lincoln the Candidate (Bust of Abraham Lincoln)'' (1909), private collection. * ''Bas-relief portrait of Edward Everett Hale'' (1909), American Unitarian Association Library, Boston, Massachusetts. * ''Bust of

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the ea ...

'' (1910). * Statuette: '' Honus Wagner'' (1910), Roman Bronze Works. * ''Bas-relief portrait of Mary Baker Eddy'' (1913). * ''Bas-relief portrait of Prime Minister

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

'' (1922). * ''Portrait medallion of Charles William Eliot'' (1924), Fogg Museum,

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 ...

. Diameter: 6 in (15.7 cm)

War memorials

* Newport Soldiers and Sailors Monument (1889–90), Congdon Park,

. * ''General Josiah Porter'' (1902),

Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City. ** A replica is on the grounds of the New York State Capitol, Albany. * 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Reserve Infantry Monument (1904),

Antietam 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 ...

, Sharpsburg, Maryland. The statue is a posthumous portrait of General

Benjamin C. Christ Benjamin Caspar Christ (September 12, 1824 – March 27, 1869) was an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. He commanded a brigade in the IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac at several important battles, including the Battle ...

. * 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry "Roundheads" Monument (1904), Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland. ** A replica (1917) is at the Civil War Monument, Danville National Cemetery, Danville, Illinois. * Civil War Memorial (1906), Centre County Courthouse, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. * ''Governor Andrew Curtin'' (bronze, 1911–13), Pennsylvania State Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania. **A replica (c. 1913) was added to the Civil War Memorial, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (Governor Curtin's home town). **A replica (1922) is at Governor Curtin Park,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

.Governor Curtin (Harrisburg)
from SIRIS. * Bas-relief: ''In Flanders's Fields'' (1919), World War I Memorial, Riverview Congregational Church, South Gardiner, Maine. File:William Ellery Channing statue in Touro Park.jpg, ''Reverend William Ellery Channing'' (1892–93), Newport, Rhode Island File:50TH PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY MONUMENT, EAST SIDE RODMAN AVENUE - Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Washington County, MD HABS MD,22-SHARP.V,9-78.tif, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1904), Antietam Battlefield, Maryland File:GENERAL VIEW OF 100TH PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY MONUMENT, EAST SIDE OF BRANCH AVENUE (P43,44) - Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Washington County, MD HABS MD,22-SHARP.V,9-87.tif, 100th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1904), Antietam Battlefield, Maryland File:Centre County Court House, Bellefonte, Pa (71312).jpg, Civil War Memorial (1906), Bellefonte, Pennsylvania File:Msgr Doane Newark jeh.jpg, ''Monsignor Doane'' (1908), Newark, New Jersey File:Scaffolding on Maine capitol dome, Augusta, ME IMG 1980.JPG, ''Minerva'' (1909), Maine State House, Augusta File:Environmental view of cemetery monument from west - National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Danville Branch, 1900 and 2000 East Main Street , Danville, Vermilion County, IL HABS IL-1232-8.tif, Civil War Monument (1917), Danville, Illinois File:Charles William Eliot medallion 1924 Smithsonian American Art.jpg, ''Charles William Eliot medallion'' (1924)

References

External links

* * John Kelly

''The Washington Post Magazine'', May 11, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, William Clark 1858 births 1938 deaths Artists from Maine People from Gardiner, Maine 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors People from Richmond, Maine