Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) 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 ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''

The Minute Man ''The Minute Man'' is an 1874 sculpture by Daniel Chester French in Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts. It was created between 1871 and 1874 after extensive research, and was originally intended to be made of stone sculp ...

'', an 1874 statue in

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

, and his 1920 monumental statue of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

at the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Early life and education

French was born on April 20, 1850, in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

, the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of William Merchant Richardson (1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire, and of Henry Flagg French (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary, and author of a book that described the French drain. His siblings were Henriette Van Mater French Hollis (1839–1911), Sarah Flagg French Bartlett (1846–1883), and William M.R. French (1843–1914). He was the uncle of Senator Henry F. Hollis. In 1867, French moved with his family to

, where he was a neighbor and friend of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

, and the Alcott family. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...

's sister Abigail May Alcott. French's early education included training in anatomy with William Rimmer and in drawing with

William Morris Hunt William Morris Hunt (March 31, 1824September 8, 1879) was an American painter. Born into the political List of Hunt family members of Vermont, Hunt family of Vermont, he trained in Paris with the realist Jean-François Millet and studied under hi ...

. French spent a year studying at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, and also several years in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy, studying in the studio of Thomas Ball.

Career

Daniel Chester French in his New York studio

French first earned acclaim for ''

'', commissioned by the town of

, which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the

Battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 were the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot militias from America's Thirteen Co ...

, the first armed conflict of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. French established his own studio, first in

, which he later moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and then to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1893, French's reputation grew with his ''

Statue of the Republic The Statue of ''The Republic'' is a Gilding, gilded bronze sculpture in Jackson Park (Chicago), Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois by Daniel Chester French. It is based on a colossal original statue, which was a centerpiece of the World's Colum ...

'' 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 ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Other works by French include the ''First Division Monument'' and the ''Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain'', both in Washington, D.C., '' John Harvard'' on the campus of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, bronze doors for the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...

, and '' Four Continents'' at the U.S. Custom House, New York, later renamed the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House. In addition to the

, French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon on memorials around the country, including the

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...

fountain in Washington, D.C. In 1893, French was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society, and he was appointed a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1913. During this time, he served as an instructor at the Art Students League of New York, teaching sculpture there in 1890 and 1898. French also became a member of the National Academy of Design (1901), the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

(which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the Architectural League, and the Accademia di San Luca, of Rome. He was a trustee of the

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 ...

in New York City, and a co-founder of the American Academy in Rome. He was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and was awarded a medal of honor from the Paris Exposition of 1900; he also was granted honorary degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities. He was a founding member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915. In 1917, French and a colleague, Henry Augustus Lukeman, designed the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

gold medal presented to laureates. French designed the side of the prize with Benjamin Franklin on it, while Lukeman created the iconic design of the printing press and the wording on the award: "For disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year….". In collaboration with Edward Clark Potter he modeled the

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

statue, commissioned by a group that called itself "The Association of American Women for the Erection of a Statue of Washington in Paris" and unveiled in the Place d'Iena in Paris, France, in 1900; the General Grant statue in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, commissioned by the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association); and the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker in Boston. French was one of many sculptors who frequently employed Audrey Munson as a model; another frequent sitter was Hettie Anderson. Together with Walter Leighton Clark and others, he was also one of the founders of the Berkshire Playhouse, which later became the Berkshire Theatre Festival. French's daughter, Margaret, also occasionally modeled for him, including for some of his rare portrait paintings, and became famous in her own right as a sculptor under the name Margaret French Cresson. In 1917, Harvard's citation in conferring an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

referred to his statue of Emerson when it called him "a sculptor, whose skillful hand, unlike that of the friend whom he portrayed, has not been stopped but spared to adorn our land by the creation of his art".Callan, Richard L
100 Years of Solitude: John Harvard Finishes His First Century
''The Harvard Crimson''. April 28, 1984. Retrieved October 13, 2012Harvard Alumni Bulletin v.19
/ref> French also taught; among his pupils was the sculptor Edith Howland.

Death

French died in

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridg ...

, in 1931 at age 81, and was interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord.

Legacy

* Chesterwood, French's summer home and studio – designed by his architect friend and frequent collaborator Henry Bacon – is now a historic site owned and operated by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

. *In 1940, French was selected as one of five artists to be honored in the 35-stamp "Famous Americans" series. * '' Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor'' (2022) is a documentary film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley produced in association with Chesterwood and the

. * Chester French was an American indie band named for the artist.

Works

Public monuments

2014 Columbia University Alma Mater closeup

*''

'' at the Old North Bridge in

, (1874) *Bust of Major General William Francis Bartlett at Memorial Hall at

(1881) *'' Statue of John Harvard'' at

Harvard Yard Harvard Yard is the oldest and among the most prominent parts of the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The yard has a historic center and modern crossroads and contains List of Harvard College freshman dormitories, most ...

at Harvard University (1884) *''

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...

'', National Statuary Hall,

(1889) *''

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Fitch Cogswell, Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the Education of the Deaf, educatio ...

and Alice Cogswell'' (1889),

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

*'' Thomas Starr King monument''

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California (1891) * Statue of ''The Republic'', the colossal centerpiece of the

, 1893. His 24-foot gilt-bronze reduced version made in 1918 survives in Chicago. *'' John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial'', intersection of Boylston Street and the Fenway in

(1897) *'' Rufus Choate memorial'', Old Suffolk County Court House, in Boston, (1898) *'' Richard Morris Hunt Memorial'', on the perimeter wall of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, at

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

at 70th Street, opposite the

Frick Collection The Frick Collection (colloquially known as the Frick) is an art museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was established in 1935 to preserve the collection of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection (museum) ...

in New York City (1900) *'' Commodore George H. Perkins Monument'' at the New Hampshire State House,

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

(1902) *'' Alma Mater'' (1903), on the campus of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

* Statue of Wendell Phillips, Public Garden in Boston * ''The Four Continents – Asia, America, Europe, and Africa'', a group of four statues outside the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, NYC (1907) * George Robert White Memorial, Public Garden in Boston * Statue of Samuel Spencer, first president of Southern Railway, located in front of Goode Building (Norfolk Southern offices) on Peachtree Street in Midtown

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia (1910) *'' August Meyer Memorial'', 10th and The Paseo,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

(1909) * James Oglethorpe Monument, Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia (1910) *'' Standing Lincoln'' at the Nebraska State Capitol,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

(1912) *''Brooklyn'' and ''Manhattan'', seated figures from the Manhattan Bridge,

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City (1915) *Minuteman, Henry Bacon designer, Jno. Williams, Inc. (NY) founder, Danville, Illinois. (1915) *'' The Spirit of Life'', memorial to Spencer Trask, in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

, at Congress Park (1915) *''

'' in the

(1914–22), executed by the Piccirilli Brothers. *''The Weaver'', outside the Peace Dale Library in

South Kingstown, Rhode Island South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind Ne ...

(1919) *'' Marquis de Lafayette Memorial'', on the perimeter of

Prospect Park (Brooklyn) Prospect Park is a urban park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjac ...

, at 9th Street and Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, New York City (1917) *'' Samuel Francis du Pont Memorial Fountain'',

, Washington D.C. (1921) * Alfred Tredway White Memorial,

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is a botanical garden in the Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The botanical garden occupies in central Brooklyn, close to Mount Prospect Park, Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park, ...

, Henry Bacon architect (1921) *'' Russell Alger Memorial Fountain'', Grand Circus Park,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan (1921) *''Marquis de Lafayette'' Statue,

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

campus,

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

(1921) *''Gale Park War Memorial & Park'',

(1922) *Bust of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

and reliefs of Boabdil and Rip Van Winkle for the Washington Irving Memorial, Irvington, New York (1927) *'' Beneficence'',

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

(1930) *'' William Henry Seward Memorial'' in Florida, New York (1930) *''Death and the Wounded Soldier'' aka ''Death and Youth'', The Chapel of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, St. Paul's School,

*''James Woods, "Uncle Jimmy" Green'',

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

(1924) *'' Gen. William Franklin Draper'', Draper Memorial Park, Milford, Massachusetts (1912)

Gallery

File:John Harvard statue.jpg, '' John Harvard'' (1884),

File:Memory, (front) by Daniel Chester French.png,

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

File:2004-08-08 1580x2800 chicago republic.jpg, Statue of ''The Republic'', (1893, reduced vers. 1918),

File:Oreillymemorial.jpg, John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial (1897),

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

File:Central Park NYC - Richard Morris Hunt Memorial by Daniel Chester French - IMG 5761.JPG, ''Architecture'' (1901), Richard Morris Hunt Memorial File:Commodore George Hamilton Perkins crop.jpg, Statue of George H. Perkins (1902), New Hampshire State House,

File:Civil War Monument to Melvin Brothers, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA - March 2016.JPG, ''Melvin Memorial'' (1908),

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the cemetery, final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground of the ...

File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG, Dupont Circle Fountain (1921), Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. File:RussellAlgersfoundGCircParkdetroit.jpg, Russell A. Alger Fountain (1921),

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

File:Lady Wisconsin.jpg, ''

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

'' (1920), Wisconsin Capitol Building,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

File:Westinghouse Plaque Schenley Park.JPG, ''Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930),

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. File:George Westinghouse Memorial2.jpg, ''American Youth, Westinghouse Memorial'' (1930), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania File:Jurisprudence by DC French.jpg, ''Jurisprudence'', Federal Building, (1910)

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

File:P1058695a.jpg, ''The Spirit of Life'' (1915), Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, NY File:EB1911 Plate VI. v24, pg.507, Fig 2.jpg, ''Indian Corn''
(Bull by Edward Clark Potter)

Architectural sculpture

*''Peace and Vigilance'' (alternatively ''America at War and Peace'') US Customhouse & Post Office, St. Louis, Missouri, Alfred B. Mullett architect (1876–1882) *Pediment, New Hampshire Historic Society Building,

, Guy Lowell, architect (1909–1911) *Bronze doors, Boston Public Library,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

architects, (1884–1904) *''Justice,'' Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State, Manhattan, New York, James Brown Lord architect (1900) *'' Four Continents'', Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, New York,

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

architect, (1904, with Adolph A. Weinman) *'' Progress of the State'', quadriga, Six statues on entablature,

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital (political), capital city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the offic ...

, St. Paul, Minnesota,

architect (1907) *''Jurisprudence'' and ''Commerce,'' Federal Building, Cleveland, Ohio, Arnold Brunner architect (1910) *''John Hampden,'' and ''Edward I'', two attic figures, Cuyahoga County Courthouse, Cleveland, Ohio, Lehman & Schmidt architects (1908, 1911) *Attic Figures, pediment,

, NYC,

architects (1912) *''

'', figure surmounting the dome, Wisconsin State Capitol,

, George B. Post architect (1914) *''

'' (1920),

, Washington, D.C., Henry Bacon architect (1914–1922) *''Peace,'' sculpture for the Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, wi ...

Triumphal Arch and Colonnade that was built in Madison Square in Manhattan, New York, in 1900. *''DeWitt Clinton'', one of three statues prepared in 1903 for the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building at 65 Liberty Street, Manhattan, New York. The statues were removed in 1926. *''Greek Epic''; ''Lyric Poetry'', and ''Religion''. Sculptures for the 1908 Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences building on Eastern Parkway in

, New York. *''Power and Wisdom''. Sculpture for the 1919 First World War Memorial. Since destroyed.

Cemetery monuments

*'' Death and the Sculptor'', a memorial for the grave of the sculptor Martin Milmore in the Forest Hills cemetery,

; this received a medal of honor at

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 ...

, in 1900. (1893) *''Clark Memorial'', Forest Hills Cemetery,

Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts Jamaica Plain is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbur ...

, (1894) *''Chapman Memorial'', Forest Home Cemetery,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, (1897) *'' Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial'',

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, Iowa. Often referred to as the "Black Angel". (1918) *''Memory, the

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field's, Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of qua ...

Memorial'', Graceland Cemetery,

, Henry Bacon, architect (1906) *'' Slocum Memorial'', Forest Hills Cemetery in

*''Melvin Memorial'',

, Henry Bacon, architect (1906–1908)

Selected museum pieces

*''The Angel of Death and the Sculptor'',

*''Mourning Victory'',

*''And the Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair…'', For French, this was an unusually erotic sculpture depicting the verse from Genesis whereby a fallen angel seduces a mortal woman thus producing the mythical

Nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or humans in the Bible traditionally understood as being of great size and strength, or alternatively beings of great power and authority. The origins of the Nephilim are disputed. Some, ...

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corco ...

; Washington, D.C., signed and dated 1923.

Miscellaneous pieces and works about French

* '' Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor'': 2022 documentary film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley *''The Chicago Incendiary'': edition of a small bisque statuette depicting the cow alleged to have started the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

of 1871 *''

'': depicted on a US postage stamp issued in 1925, commemorating the

*''Bust of John Brewster'', who endowed Brewster Academy in 1887. File:Lexington Concord-5c.jpg, Daniel Chester French's ''

'' depicted on US Postage Stamp, 1925 Issue, 5¢ Image:Daniel Chester French 1940 Issue-5c.jpg,

References

; Citations

External links

*

Chesterwood Estate and Museum
��Summer home, studio, and garden of sculptor Daniel Chester French
"F"
(pp. 158–182; see p. 177) in ''Members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: 1780–2012''
Daniel Chester French exhibition brochure
from the

"Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor"
a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Daniel Chester 1850 births 1931 deaths 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Artists of the Boston Public Library Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Concord, Massachusetts) Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters National Sculpture Society members People from Concord, Massachusetts People from Exeter, New Hampshire People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts Sculptors from New Hampshire