William Marshall Swayne (December 1, 1828 – May 1, 1918) was a sculptor and writer who lived in
Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Biography
William Marshall Swayne, commonly known as Marshall Swayne was born on December 1, 1828 in Pennsbury Twp., Chester Co. He was married to Mary S. Barnard in 1850 and had 8 children. At the suggestion of Supreme Court justice
Noah Haynes Swayne William Marshall was
appointed to the
United States Treasury Department by president
Abraham Lincoln. Swayne had a farm in East Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania, and later lived in
Kennett Square. He died on May 1, 1918.
Artistic career
Swayne was a self-taught artist who sculpted many figures from history and from life including
General Anthony Wayne,
Salmon P. Chase,
Edwin M. Stanton,
William H. Seward,
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
,
Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825December 19, 1878) was an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. As a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record ...
,
General George Meade,
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...
, and
John Hickman.
Bust of Lincoln
Swayne did several sculptures of Lincoln including a
bust of the President while he posed for him and recited poetry to visitors. Lincoln said of the sculpture, "I have sat for several to model my likeness, but I like yours best."
The Division of Government, Politics, and Reform at the
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
(NMAH) houses a copy of Swayne's bust of Abraham Lincoln. It was donated to the
Smithsonian Institution in 1940 by Swayne's heirs through Richard B. Swayne and Marion Swayne Richter. It is bronzed plaster and is 30" high by 19" wide. It is marked, "W.M. Swayne, Scpr. June 8, 1864."
The sculpture was last on view in 1999 when it was lent to the Lincoln Museum in
Fort Wayne, Indiana, for an exhibition titled "Lincoln from Life."
Swayne also made several smaller copies of this bust that were given to family, friends, and president's. It is reported that 10 were made. President Fillmore was one among the ten that received a copy of Swayne's famous bust.
[President Fillmore's family archives]
See also
*
Wager Swayne
*
Noah Haynes Swayne
Further reading
*Lincoln lore: Issues 1487–1558, ''WILLIAM MARSHALL SWAYNE The Man Who Made A "Mud Head" of Lincoln'' – Austin Warren, Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Lincoln Historical Research Foundation – 196
References
External links
Entry for William Marshall SWAYNE, The Pennocks of Primitive Hall website, Gedpage Version 2.20 ©2000 on 25 December 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swayne, William Marshall
Sculptors from Pennsylvania
People from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Writers from Pennsylvania
1828 births
1918 deaths
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
19th-century American sculptors
19th-century American male artists
American male sculptors