Hermon Atkins MacNeil (February 27, 1866 – October 2, 1947) was an American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

born in Everett, Massachusetts. He is known for designing the ''Standing Liberty'' quarter, struck by the Mint from 1916 to 1930; and for sculpting ''Justice, the Guardian of Liberty'' on the east pediment of the

United States Supreme Court building The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The building serves as the official workplace of the Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice o ...

Career

MacNeil graduated from Massachusetts Normal Art School, now Massachusetts College of Art and Design, in 1886, became an instructor in industrial art at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

from 1886 to 1889, and was then a pupil of Henri M. Chapu and Alexandre Falguière in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Returning to America, he aided Philip Martiny (1858–1927) in the preparation of sketch models for 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 from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

, and in 1896 he won the Rinehart scholarship, passing four years (1896–1900) in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In 1906 he became a National Academician. His first important work was ''The Moqui Runner'', which was followed by ''A Primitive Chant'', and '' The Sun Vow'', all figures of the North American Indian. Several of his earlier American Indian sculptures served as the inspiration for his later contribution to the long running Society of Medalists, ''Hopi Prayer for Rain''. ''Fountain of Liberty'', for the

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, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

, and other Indian themes came later; his ''Agnese'' and his ''Beatrice'', which are two fine busts of women, and his nude statuettes, which echo his time spent in Rome and Paris, also deserve mention. One of his principal works is the '' William McKinley Monument'' sculpture in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, in honor of President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

. In 1909 he won in competition a commission for a large soldiers' and sailors' monument in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

. Perhaps his best known work is as the designer of the

Standing Liberty quarter The Standing Liberty quarter is a Quarter (United States coin), 25-cent coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1930. It succeeded the Barber coinage, Barber quarter, which had been minted since 1892. Featuring the goddess of ...

, which was minted from 1916 to 1930, and carries his initial to the right of the date. He also made ''Justice, the Guardian of Liberty'' on the east pediment of the

. MacNeil was one of a dozen sculptors invited to compete in the '' Pioneer Woman'' statue competition in 1927, which he failed to win. His work was also part of the art competitions at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

and the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

. One of his last works was the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

statue dedicated in 1940 in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

Family

His wife, Carol Brooks MacNeil, also a sculptor of distinction, was a pupil of Frederick William MacMonnies and a member of the White Rabbits.

Gallery

File:Marquette Building exterior entry detail - Chicago Illinois.jpg, Jacques Marquette bas-reliefs (1894), Marquette Building, Chicago, Illinois. File:The Sun Vow 01.jpg, '' The Sun Vow'' (1899), bronze,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, New York City. File:McKinley Memorial Ohio Statehouse.JPG, '' William McKinley Monument'' (1903–1906),

Ohio Statehouse The Ohio Statehouse is the List of state and territorial capitols in the United States, state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, ...

, Columbus, Ohio. File:Coming of the White Man sculpture.jpg, '' Coming of the White Man'' (1904), Washington Park, Portland, Oregon. Chief Multnomah observing the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

. File:VeteransmonumentAlbany.jpg, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1909–1912), Washington Park, Albany, New York. File:Washington in War MacNeil.jpg, ''Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor'' (1914–1916),

Washington Square Arch The Washington Square Arch, officially the Washington Arch, is a marble memorial arch in Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by architect Stanford White in 1891, it commemo ...

, Washington Square Park, New York City. File:"Intellectual Development" statue by Hermon Atkins MacNeil.jpg, ''Intellectual Development'' (1916),

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, Evanston, Illinois. File:Statue of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University.jpg, Statue of Ezra Cornell (1919), campus of

File:Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Philadelphia) - DSC06751.JPG, Civil War Soldiers' Monument (1921),

Benjamin Franklin Parkway Benjamin Franklin Parkway, commonly abbreviated to Ben Franklin Parkway and colloquially called the Parkway, is a boulevard that runs through the cultural heart of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city as of 2020. The parkway is named ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carved by the

Piccirilli Brothers The Piccirilli Brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1920) in the ...

. File:White Point Garden, Confederate Defenders of Charleston 2.jpg, '' Confederate Defenders of Charleston'' (1932), Charleston, South Carolina File:HMcNeil-GRClark.jpg, ''George Rogers Clark'' (1934), George Rogers Clark Memorial, Vincennes, Indiana. File:Supreme court east facade.jpg, ''Justice, the Guardian of Liberty'' (1935), East Pediment,

, Washington, D.C. File:Pony-express-statue.jpg, ''Pony Express Monument'' (1940), Civic Center Triangle, St. Joseph, Missouri.

References

* *

External links

''The Sun Vow''

''The Moqui Runner''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macneil, Hermon Atkins 1866 births 1947 deaths 19th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors American architectural sculptors American currency designers American male sculptors Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Everett, Massachusetts) Coin designers Cornell University faculty Massachusetts College of Art and Design alumni National Sculpture Society members Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics People from Everett, Massachusetts Sculptors from Massachusetts