Randolph Rogers (July 6, 1825 in Waterloo, New York – January 15, 1892 in Rome, Italy) was an American Neoclassical sculptor. An

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

who lived most of his life in Italy, his works ranged from popular subjects to major commissions, including the '' Columbus Doors'' at the

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...

and

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

monuments.

Biography

Rogers was born in

Waterloo, New York Waterloo is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 7,338 at the 2020 census. The town and its major community are named after Waterloo, Belgium, where Napoleon was defeated. There is also a village called Waterl ...

, and his family moved to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...

when he was a child. He developed an interest in wood cuts and wood engraving, and moved to New York City about 1847, but was unsuccessful in finding employment as an engraver. While working as a clerk in a dry-goods store, his employers discovered his native talent as a sculptor and provided funds for him to travel to Italy. He began study in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

in 1848, where he studied briefly under Lorenzo Bartolini. He then opened a studio in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1851. He resided in that city until his death in 1892.James-Gadzinski & Cunningham, pp. 58–61. He began his career carving statues of children and portrait busts of tourists. He was not happy working with marble consequently all his marble statues were copied in his studio by Italian artisans under his supervision, from an original produced by him in another material. This also enabled him to profit from his popular works. His first large-scale work was ''Ruth Gleaning'' (1853), based on a figure in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. It proved extremely popular, and up to 20 marble replicas were produced by his studio. His next large-scale work was ''Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii'' (1853–54), based on a character in

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secre ...

's best-selling 1834 novel, '' The Last Days of Pompeii''. It proved even more popular, and his studio produced at least 77 marble replicas. In 1855 he received his first major commission in the United States: great bronze doors for the East Front of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. He chose to depict scenes from the life of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

. The '' Columbus Doors'' were modeled in Rome, cast in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, and installed in Washington, DC in 1871.Columbus Doors
from Architect of the Capitol Webpage. In 1854, Rogers along with

William Wetmore Story William Wetmore Story (February 12, 1819 – October 7, 1895) was an American sculptor, art critic, poet, and editor. Life and career William Wetmore Story was the son of jurist Joseph Story and Sarah Waldo (Wetmore) Story. He graduated from ...

, Richard Greenough, and Thomas Crawford were each commissioned by

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brah ...

to create statues of famous Bostonians to be displayed in the cemetery's chapel. Rogers was commissioned to create a statue of President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

. In September 1857, Rogers shipped the completed marble sculpture from Rome, but the ship was lost at sea before its arrival. Rogers was then commissioned to create another copy of his sculpture of "John Adams" and was contracted to create a marble version of Thomas Crawford's plaster sculpture "James Otis" after Crawfords died suddenly. (All of the sculptures were transferred to the

Harvard Art Museums 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 ...

in 1935) Following the 1857 death of sculptor Thomas Crawford, Rogers completed the sculpture program of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...

at the

State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

. He designed four major

monuments: the

Soldiers' National Monument The Soldiers' National Monument is a Gettysburg Battlefield memorial which is located at the central point of Gettysburg National Cemetery. It honors the battle's soldiers and tells an allegory of "''peace and plenty under freedom … followin ...

(1865–1869) at

Gettysburg National Cemetery Gettysburg National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery created for Union casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought between July 1 to 3, 1863, resulted in the larges ...

; the Rhode Island Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1866–1871) in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

; the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1867–1872) in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

; and the Soldiers' Monument (1871–1874) in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

. He modeled ''The Genius of Connecticut'' (1877–1878), a bronze goddess that adorned the dome of the

Connecticut State Capitol The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the ...

in Hartford. It was damaged in a

1938 hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The st ...

, removed, and melted down for scrap metal during World War II. A plaster cast of the statue is now exhibited within the building. In 1873 he became the first American to be elected to Italy's

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

, and he was knighted in 1884 by

King Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

. Rogers suffered a stroke in 1882, and was never able to work again. He left his papers and plaster casts of his sculptures to the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where there is also a ''Nydia'' replica.

Selected works

List

*''Ruth Gleaning'' (1853),

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 ...

, New York City. *''Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii'' (1853–1854),

, New York City. *''John Adams'' (1854–1859),

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

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 highe ...

, Cambridge, Massachusetts. *'' Columbus Doors'' (1855–1861), East Front,

, Washington, D.C. *''Thomas Nelson'', ''Meriwether Lewis'', 6 allegorical figures (1857–1858),

Virginia State Capitol The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia. (The first two were Jamestown and Williamsburg.) It houses the oldest elected ...

, Richmond, Virginia. *''Angel of the Resurrection'' (1862), Samuel Colt Monument, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut. *''Isaac on the Altar'' (1863–1864),

Brooklyn Museum of Art The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Cro ...

, Brooklyn, New York City *''La Somnambula'' (1863–1864),

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds ...

, Washington, D.C. *''The Sentinel'' (1863–1865),

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio. One of Ohio's first formal Civil War monuments. *

(1865–1869),

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, George Keller, architect. *Rhode Island Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1866–1871), Kennedy Square, Providence, Rhode Island, Alfred Stone, architect. * Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1867–1872), Detroit, Michigan. *''

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 throu ...

'' (1870–1871),

East 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, wi ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. * Soldiers' Monument (1871–1874), Worcester, Massachusetts. *''The Lost Pleiade'' (1874),

The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

, Chicago, Illinois. Sculpture group of feuding tribes. *William H. Seward Monument (1875–1876),

Madison Square Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, fourth President of the United S ...

, New York City. *''The Genius of Connecticut'' (1877–1878),

, Hartford, Connecticut. *''The Last Arrow (statuette)'' (1879–1880),

, New York City.The Last Arrow
from MMA. *''The Infant Psyche'' (bust of the artist's daughter Nora) (c. 1880),

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.

Images

File:Ruth Gleaning.jpg, ''Ruth Gleaning'' (1853),

, New York City. File:Colt Family Monument (Randolph Rogers, sculptor), Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, CT - February 2016.jpg, ''Angel of the Resurrection'' (1864) atop Colt Monument, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut. File:Cincinnati - Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum "Civil War Soldier in Autumn".jpg, ''The Sentinel'' (1864–65),

, Cincinnati, Ohio. File:Genius of Liberty on top of the Soldier's National Monument, Gettyburg.jpg, ''The Genius of Liberty'',

(1865–1869),

, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. File:Providence RI City Hall and Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument (cropped).jpg, Rhode Island Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1866–1871), Kennedy Square, Providence, Rhode Island. File:For Those Who Gave All....jpg, Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1867–1872), Detroit, Michigan. File:Lincoln 1871 Fairmount.jpg, ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1870–71),

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. File:CivilWarMemorialWorcester.JPG, Soldiers' Monument (1871–1874), Worcester, Massachusetts. File:WLA brooklynmuseum Randolph Rogers The Lost Pleiad.jpg, ''The Lost Pleiad'' (1873–74),

, Brooklyn, New York City. Seward statue in Madison Square Park (00284) (cropped).jpg, William H. Seward Monument (1875–76),

, New York City. File:Genius of Connecticut statue, by Randolph Rogers.jpg, ''The Genius of Connecticut'' (1877–78),

, Hartford, Connecticut. Painted plaster cast, the original bronze statue was damaged and destroyed. File:Randolph Rogers Labor.jpg, "Labor" from

Notes

*"Randolph Rogers," Susan James-Gadzinski & Mary Mullen Cunningham, ''American Sculpture in the Museum of American Art of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts'' (PAFA, 1997), pp. 58–61. *Millard F. Rogers, Jr. ''Randolph Rogers: American Sculptor in Rome''.

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts a ...

. 1971. . *Marc Tarrozzi, ''Randolph Rogers and the Rhode Island Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument'' (1989). * William H. Seward was Secretary of State, 1861–1869.

References

External links

Sculptor.org information

Randolph Rogers
from

University of Michigan Museum of Art The University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan with is one of the largest university art museums in the United States. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alumni Memorial Hall ori ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Randolph 1825 births 1892 deaths 19th-century American sculptors American male sculptors American expatriates in Italy People from Waterloo, New York Artists from Ann Arbor, Michigan Sculptors from New York (state) Sculptors from Michigan Neoclassical sculptors 19th-century American male artists