Francis Edwin Elwell (also cited as Frank Edwin Elwell) (June 15, 1858, Concord, Massachusetts – January 23, 1922, Darien, Connecticut) was an American sculptor, teacher, and author. He lectured on art at Harvard University, and taught modeling at 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 ...

and the Art Students League of New York. He served as Curator of Sculpture at the

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 ...

until he was ousted in 1905,"Museum's Trustees Oust Curator Elwell," ''The New York Times'', October 17, 1905.
/ref> and wrote one of the first, though unpublished, histories of American sculpture.Thayer Tolles, ed., ''American Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I'' (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999), pp. 365-36

/ref> Elwell established an early reputation as a sculptor of portrait busts, but also became known for major works, funereal and military monuments, and architectural sculptures. His most famous work is probably '' Dickens and Little Nell (Elwell), Dickens and Little Nell'' (1890).

Biography

Early life

Elwell was the son and only child of John Wesley Elwell and Clara Farrar, of

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

. He was orphaned at age 4, and raised by his maternal grandparents, Elisha Jones Farrar and Elizabeth Chase Barnay. His grandfather was a blacksmith, whom Elwell assisted at the forge. The Farrars were friendly with several illustrious neighbors:

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

, Henry David Thoreau, and the Alcott family. He attended Concord public schools, and received his first art instruction privately from Abigail May Alcott, who had also been an early teacher of sculptor Daniel Chester French.Levi P. Morton bust in the U.S. Senate
/ref> Her sister, writer Louisa May Alcott, took an interest in both students. As a teenager, Elwell assisted French (eight years his senior) in the sculptor's Concord studio, and later shared a studio with him 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 ...

. Elwell studied at the school of the

Boston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. With financial backing from French, the Alcotts, and other Boston patrons, Elwell traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1881. Following a recommendation from the U.S. Minister to France, Levi P. Morton, he was admitted to the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

in May 1882. He matriculated after a year, and studied privately in the studio of his École teacher,

Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...

. Elwell then studied architecture at the Royal Art School in

Ghent, Belgium Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, and was awarded a silver medal by King Leopold in 1884. Elwell married fellow American art student Molina Mary Hilbreth in Paris.John William Leonard, ed., ''Who's Who in New York City and State'' (New York: L. R. Hamersly Company, second edition, 1905), p. 308. They returned to Massachusetts in 1885, and their twin sons were born there in 1886.

Career

For several years, Elwell lectured on art at Harvard University. He taught modeling at the school of the

, 1886-1887, then at the Art Students League of New York. He found early success in modeling and carving portrait busts and minor works. His first major commission came in 1886 from Mrs. Frederik Hendrik Pont, a Dutch philanthropist, for a sculpture to mark her late husband's grave. The widow chose Elwell on recommendations by Dutch painter Hendrik Dirk Kruseman van Elten and American sculptor

John Quincy Adams Ward John Quincy Adams Ward (June 29, 1830 – May 1, 1910) was an American sculptor, whose most familiar work is his larger than life-size standing statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City. Early ye ...

. Carved in marble, ''Death of Strength'' (1888) depicted a dying lion watched over by an angel. It was placed in the churchyard of St. Nicholaaskerk, in

Edam, Netherlands Edam () is a town in the northwest Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Combined with Volendam, Edam forms the municipality of Edam-Volendam. Approximately 7,380 people live in Edam. The entire municipality of Edam-Volendam has 28,492 i ...

, becoming "the first American-made statue to be installed on European soil."

Dickens and Little Nell

Elwell's most celebrated work is likely his 1891 sculptural grouping of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

and Nell Trent, a character from the author's 1840-41 novel ''

The Old Curiosity Shop ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is one of two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York r ...

''. It won a gold medal from the Art Club of Philadelphia in 1891 and two gold medals at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

of 1893. 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 ...

'' wrote, "Among the art exhibits of this country at the World's Fair, probably no particular example has attracted more popular interest than the sculptural memorial to Charles Dickens, the work of Mr. F. Edwin Elwell, a young artist".

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 in his 1903 book ''The History of American Sculpture'':

In his "Dickens and Little Nell" the sculptor has given us that rare thing,—a portrait statue which makes an emotional appeal. To be sure, its dramatic power is due to a secondary figure, as is the case in Mr. French's " Gallaudet," but the use of such a figure is legitimate when it detracts nothing from the effect of the principal, but rather enhances it, and when it is in itself as charming in conception as is Mr. Elwell's "Little Nell."

1901 Pan-American Exposition

Elwell created three heroic-sized sculptures for the 1901

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

in Buffalo, New York. ''Kronos'' and ''Ceres'' faced each other across the pool of the West Esplanade Fountain; and ''Intelligence'' had the place of honor before the south portico of the New York State Building (now the

Albright-Knox Art Gallery The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum at 1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York, in Delaware Park. the museum's Elmwood Avenue campus is temporarily closed for construction. It hosted e ...

).''The American Architect and Building News'', vol. 71, no. 1310 (February 2, 1901). Elwell exhibited two bronzes in the Art Gallery, ''Egypt Awakening'' and ''Dancing Girl'', and was awarded a Bronze Medal for them. His twin sons entered

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 ...

in 1906, and Elwell donated his plaster model of ''Kronos'':

At the reception to Freshmen in the
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 ...
last night, a statue of "Kronos," designed by F. E. Elwell, and presented to the Union by A. F. Elwell '10 and S. B. Elwell '10, was unveiled in the southwest corner of the Living Room. Mr. W. C. Lane '81, Librarian of the University, announced the gift and briefly described its significance.
The statue is a plaster model of a colossal figure exhibited at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo in 1901. Kronos is represented with out-stretched wings, symbolic of the apparently swift flight of time, but standing on the back of a turtle, as significant of its slow progress. The face is covered with a veil, emblematic of mystery.

Personal

On October 30, 1882, Elwell and Molina Mary Hildreth (1847-1932), of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

, were married in Paris. They returned to the United States in 1885, and the following year she bore twin sons: Alcott Farrar Elwell (1886-1962) and Stanley Bruce Elwell (1886-1936). Louisa May Alcott was godmother to Alcott Elwell. Elwell presented a bust of Louisa May Alcott to the University of Kansas in 1900:

Miss Alcott was so much my friend, and had so much to do in forming my character that I would have been most ungrateful had I not sought to honor her memory when the opportunity was afforded, as it came in an invitation to furnish a bust for the University of Kansas. … resentedas a loving tribute to the memory of a grand woman whose friendship was so helpful, and whose writings have tended to ennoble and elevate the lives of thousands of American boys and girls.Josephine Latham Swayne, ''The Story of Concord Told by Concord Writers'' (Boston: E. F. Worcester Press, 1906), p. 235.

Frank and Molina Elwell separated around 1908, and their 1911 divorce was highly publicized. Elwell lived for a time in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

, and then for many years lived and sculpted at 12 Hudson Place in

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197.

, overlooking the Hudson River. He moved to

Darien, Connecticut Darien ( ) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles, it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It has the youngest population of any ...

, in 1920. Elwell died there on January 23, 1922, while waiting for a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

. The city flew its flags at half-mast.

Selected works

Sculptures

*''Aqua Viva'' (''Water Carrier'') (bronze, 1884), height: ,

, Manhattan, New York City. *''Nathan Hale'' (clay, 1889), unlocated. Elwell's unsuccessful entry in an 1889 sculpture competition. *'' Dickens and Little Nell (Elwell), Dickens and Little Nell'' (bronze, 1890), Dickens: , Overall: ,

Clark Park Clark Park is a municipal park in the Spruce Hill section of West Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its are bordered by 43rd and 45th streets, and by Baltimore and Woodland Avenues. The park was established in 1895 on land donated to ...

, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Awarded the 1891 gold medal of the

Philadelphia Art Club The Art Club of Philadelphia, often called the Philadelphia Art Club, was a club in Philadelphia, founded on February 7, 1887, to advance the arts.

; awarded a gold medal at the 1893

World’s Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

; purchased by the

Fairmount Park Art Association Established in 1872 in Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (formerly Fairmount Park Art Association) is the United States' first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. The Assoc ...

. *''Diana and the Lion'' (''Intellect Dominating Force'') (marble, 1893), Fabyan Villa, Geneva, Illinois. Exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Ex collection: Art Institute of Chicago. A life-sized standing female nude resting her hand on the head of a seated lion. *''Priestess of Isis'' (''Egypt Awaking'') (bronze, 1896), unlocated. Bought by M. Gabriel Goupillat at the Paris Salon of 1896. *''The Goddess of Fire'' (1897), unlocated. *''Isis Instructing Horus'' (''The Origin of Religion'') (1898), unlocated. *''The Orchid'' (''Dancing Girl'') (1898), unlocated. Owned by Theodore B. Starr, New York City. *''When Sleep Comes Down'' (by 1898), unlocated. A shrouded standing female figure. *''Dawn'' (by 1898), unlocated.Theodore Dreiser, "Frank Edwin Elwell, Sculptor," ''The New York Times'', December 4, 189

/ref> *''Strength and Love'' (by 1898), unlocated. *''Andrew McMillan Memorial'' (1904), Utica Public Library,

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

. *''The Dispatch Rider of the American Revolution'' (bronze, 1907), Sculpture: , Overall: , First Presbyterian Church of Orange,

. *''Abraham Lincoln'' (bronze, 1911), Sculpture: , Overall: , East Orange City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey. File:Aqua Viva MET 88.9.jpg, ''Aqua Viva'' (1884), Metropolitan Museum of Art File:S03 06 01 016 image 2172.jpg, ''Dickens and Little Nell'' (right), at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago File:S03 06 01 016 image 2167.jpg, ''Diana and the Lion'' (left), at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago File:Elwell Awaking of Egypt ca.1896.jpg, ''Egypt Awaking'' (1896), unlocated File:East Orange City Hall Lincoln jeh.jpg, ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1911), City Hall, East Orange, NJ

Portrait busts

*''Bust of Hippolyte Le Roy'' (1882), exhibited at Paris Salon of 1883.Frank Linston White, "Art Notes," ''The Epoch'', vol. 5, no. 106 (February 15, 1889), p. 3

/ref> Le Roy had been Elwell's instructor at the Royal Art School, Ghent, Belgium. *''Bust of a Woman'' (1887), height: ,

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

, Atlanta, Georgia. *''Bust of Miss Edna Monroe'' (by 1889), Cambridge, Massachusetts. *''Bust of Master Jackson'' (by 1889), Athens, Georgia. *''Serious Thought'' (by 1889), unlocated. Bust of a child. *Nine bas-relief portrait busts of eminent men (by 1889), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. *''Bust of Simeon Baldwin Chittenden'' (marble, 1890), height: , Yale Divinity School Library, New Haven, Connecticut. * ''Bust of Louisa May Alcott'' (plaster, 1891), height: , Orchard House, Concord, Massachusetts **Elwell donated a plaster cast to the University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1900. **A bronze cast is at the Concord Free Public Library, Concord, Massachusetts **A 1967 bronze cast is at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. *''Bust of Vice President Levi P. Morton'' (marble, 1891), height: , United States Senate Art Collection. Morton had recommended Elwell's admittance to the École des Beaux-Arts a decade earlier. *''Bust of Reverend Robert Collyer'' (marble, by 1899), unlocated.B. O. Fowler, "F. Edwin Elwell—Sculptor, Poet, Philosopher, and Man," ''The Coming Age'', vol 2, no. 6 (December 1899), pp. 563-578. *''Bust of Peter Esselmont,

Lord Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City local authority in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in m ...

'' (marble, by 1899), Town Hall Library,

Aberdeen, Scotland Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), an ...

. *''Bust of John Ward Dunsmore'' (1900), height: , New York Historical Society, Manhattan, New York City. *''Bust of Vice President Garret A. Hobart'' (marble, 1901), height: , United States Senate Art Collection. *''Bust of Elihu Yale'' (1901),

Yale Club of New York City The Yale Club of New York City, commonly called The Yale Club, is a private club in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is restricted almost entirely to alumni and faculty of Yale University. The Yale Club has a worldwide membe ...

Portrait busts of unknown date

*''Bust of Otto Grundmann'' (plaster), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Grundmann had been Elwell's teacher at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. *''Head of Frank B. Sanborn'' (marble), Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas. *''Bust of James E. Mooney'', height: ,

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ov ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio. *''Bust of Robert Miller Walmsley'' (marble),

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

, New Orleans, Louisiana. *''Bust of Morris Patten'', unlocated. *''Bust of Marion Elwell'', unlocated. File:Francis Edwin Elwell, 'Bust of a Woman', 1887, High Museum.JPG, ''Bust of a Woman'' (1887), High Museum of Art File:Louisa May Alcott (3439649448).jpg, ''Louisa May Alcott'' (1891, this cast 1967), National Portrait Gallery File:Levi P. Morton bust.jpg, ''Vice President Levi P. Morton'' (1891), U.S. Capitol File:Elwell Rev.Collyer.jpg, ''Reverend Robert Collyer'' (by 1899), unlocated File:Gahobart.jpg, ''Vice President Garret A. Hobart'' (1901), U.S. Capitol

Funereal monuments

* ''Death of Strength,'' (1888), Frederik Hendrik Pont tomb, St. Nicholaaskerk churchyard,

Edwina Spencer, "American Sculptors and Their Art," ''The Chautauquan: A News Magazine'', vol. 39, no. 1 (March 1904), p. 5

/ref> * ''Relief bust of Edwin Booth'' (bronze, 1895), Overall: , Edwin Booth Monument, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts,

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

, architect * ''The New Life'' (bronze, 1899), Bonney Memorial, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts,

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–1922), which was his final project. Education and early career Henr ...

, architect. **Plaster version, ex collection: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. *General

Luigi Palma di Cesnola Luigi Palma di Cesnola (July 29, 1832 – November 20, 1904), an Italian-American soldier, diplomat and amateur archaeologist, was born in Rivarolo Canavese, near Turin. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil Wa ...

Monument (1904), Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York. *''The Genius of Memory'' (1916), Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts, Henry Bacon, architect. File:Praalgraf engel over stervende leeuw.jpg, ''Death of Strength'' (1888), Edam, Netherlands File:EdwinBoothGrave.jpg, ''Edwin Booth Monument'' (1895), Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA File:Bonney Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016.JPG, ''The New Life'' (1898), Bonney Memorial, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA File:Louis Palma Di Cesnola Monument 2010.JPG, General di Cesnola Monument, Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, NY File:Seated Woman Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016.JPG, ''The Genius of Memory'' (1916), Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA

Military monuments

* ''21st Pennsylvania Cavalry Monument'' (granite, 1893), Overall: ,

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 ...

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania * ''Equestrian Statue of Major-General

Winfield Scott 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 ...

'' (bronze, 1896), Sculpture: , Overall: , Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania * ''7th Rhode Island Infantry Monument'' (bronze 1908), Sculpture: , Overall: ,

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater ...

, Vicksburg, Mississippi * ''Bust of Brigadier General Andrew J. Smith'' (bronze, 1911), Bust: , Overall: , Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi * ''Relief bust of Colonel Cyrus Bussey'' (bronze, 1911), height: , Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi * ''Relief bust of Colonel William Wade'' (bronze, 1912), height: , Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi * ''Statue of Major General Frederick Steele'' (bronze, 1912), Figure: , Overall: , Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi * ''Statue of Rear Admiral Charles Henry Davis'' (bronze, 1917), height: , U. S. Navy Memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi File:21st PA Cavalry Monument.jpg, ''21st Pennsylvania Cavalry Monument'' (1893), Gettysburg, PA File:Maj-Gen Winfield Scott Hancock Monument 01.jpg, ''Maj-Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock'' (1896), Gettysburg, PA File:Vicksburg National Battlefield Rhode Island 7th Inf.jpg, ''7th Rhode Island Infantry Monument'' (1908), Vicksburg, MS File:20-13-155-wade.jpg, Col. William Wade (1912) Vicksburg, MS

Architectural sculptures

*''Song'' (by 1898), bas relief panel for the house of George Alfred Townsend. *''Ceres'' (1901), West Esplanade Fountain, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York. *''Kronos'' (1901), West Esplanade Fountain, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York. **Reduced-sized versions of ''Kronos'' in plaster and bronze, height: , are at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. *''Intelligence'' (1901), New York State Building, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York. A Greek-gowned woman seated in an armchair, a book in her lap, and holding a sphere in one hand. * ''Classic Art'' (limestone, 1903),

St. Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, M ...

, St. Louis, Missouri. One of 6 cornice figures created for the portico of the Palace of Fine Arts, 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition,

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and ...

, architect. *''Heroic Bust of Amzi L. Dodd'' (marble, (1905),

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The company was headed by Frederick Frelinghuysen (1848–1924). The company w ...

Building, Newark, New Jersey, George B. Post, architect. *''Bust of Colonel Robert T. Van Horn'' (marble, 1906), Van Horn High School,

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, ...

. Created for the façade of the Kansas City Journal Building, Kansas City, Missouri. *''Bust of Dante Alighieri'' (limestone, 1907), height: , in niche on the façade of Scranton Memorial Library, Madison, Connecticut. *''Bust of William Shakespeare'' (limestone, 1907), height: , in niche on the façade of Scranton Memorial Library,

Madison, Connecticut Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census. Madison was first settled in 16 ...

. **''Shakespeare's Mirror'' (bronze, cast 1975), height: , H. Aschehoug & Company Building,

Oslo, Norway Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of i ...

. * ''Greece'' (limestone, 1907), cornice figure on Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, New York City, assisted by

August Zeller August Zeller (7 March 1863, Bordentown, New Jersey – 11 January 1918, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American sculptor and teacher. An exceptional carver, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) under Thomas Eakins. He ...

. * ''Rome'' (limestone, 1907), cornice figure on Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, New York City, assisted by August Zeller.Rome
from SIRIS. *''Acrosteria'' (1915), Agriculture Building, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California. File:Pan-American Exposition - Graphic Arts Building and West Esplanade Fountain.jpg, ''Ceres'' and ''Kronos'' (1901), Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York File:Francis Elwell - Art classique.jpg, ''Classic Art'' (ca.1904), St. Louis Art Museum File:Sculpture "Seafaring Nations, Greece" located on exterior façade of Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, New York LCCN2010720089.tif, ''Greece'' (1907), U.S. Custom House, New York City File:Sculpture "Seafaring Nations, Rome" located on exterior façade of Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, New York LCCN2010720090.tif, ''Rome'' (1907), U.S. Custom House, New York City

References

External links

1910 photo of ''Dickens and Little Nell'' at PhillyHistory.org''Dickens and Little Nell'' at Philart.netFrancis Edwin Elwell Papers
from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, including many letters to Elwell
Article on the Frank Edwin Elwell Papers
from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
Frank Edwin Elwell papers
from the

Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves Philadelphia. It is the 13th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia gover ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwell, Francis Edwin 1858 births 1922 deaths People from Concord, Massachusetts American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts 20th-century American sculptors 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors Art Students League of New York faculty National Academy of Design faculty People associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art 20th-century American male artists