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 ...

of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture '' The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Family

French was the son of Anne Richardson (1811–1856), daughter of William Merchant Richardson (1774–1838), chief justice of New Hampshire; and of

Henry Flagg French Henry Flagg French (August 14, 1813 – November 29, 1885) was an American agriculturalist, inventor, lawyer, judge, postmaster, writer, assistant secretary of the treasury, and the first president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now th ...

(1813–1885). 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 Henry French Hollis (August 30, 1869July 7, 1949) was a United States senator from New Hampshire, and regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Life He attended public schools and studied under private tutors. He engaged in civil engineering for ...

Life and career

French was born in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, to Henry Flagg French (1813–1885), a lawyer, judge, Assistant US Treasury Secretary, and author of a book that described the French drain, and his wife Anne Richardson. In 1867, French moved with his family to

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 co ...

, 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, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

, and the Alcott family. His decision to pursue sculpting was influenced by Louisa May Alcott's sister May Alcott. Daniel Chester French in his New York studio

Daniel Chester French in his New York studio

French's early education included training in anatomy with William Rimmer and in drawing with William Morris Hunt. French spent a year studying at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

, and also several years 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 ...

, Italy, studying in the studio of Thomas Ball. French first earned acclaim for '' The Minute Man'', commissioned by the town of Concord, Massachusetts, which was unveiled April 19, 1875, on the centenary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. He soon established his own studio, first in Washington, DC, moving later to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and then to New York City. French's reputation grew with his ''Statue of the Republic'' 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 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, in Chicago. Other memorable works by French include: the ''First Division Monument'' and the ''Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain'' in Washington; ''John Harvard'',

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, ...

; bronze doors for the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonwea ...

; and ''

Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, ...

'' at the US Custom House, New York (now the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House). In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon on numerous memorials around the country and on the Dupont Circle fountain in Washington, DC. 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 (abbreviation: AAA&S) 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, a ...

in 1913. French also became a member of 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 ...

(1901), the American Academy of Arts and Letters (which awarded him the Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1917), the Architectural League, and the

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 ...

, of Rome. He was a trustee of 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 ...

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 The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction with ...

, serving from 1910 to 1915, including as chairman from 1912 to 1915. In 1917, French and a colleague, H. Augustus Lukeman, designed the Pulitzer Prize 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 Edward Clark Potter (November 26, 1857 – June 21, 1923) was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His most famous works are the marble lions, nicknamed ''Patience'' and ''Fortitude'', in front of the New Yor ...

he modeled the

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

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 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 ...

(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 Audrey Marie Munson (June 8, 1891 – February 20, 1996) was an American artist's model and film actress, considered to be "America's first supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Pacific Girl", the ...

as a model; another frequent sitter was

Hettie Anderson Hettie Anderson (born Harriette Eugenia Dickerson; 1873 – January 10, 1938) was an African-American art model and muse who posed for American sculptors and painters including Daniel Chester French, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John La Farge, Anders ...

. 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. In 1917, Harvard's citation in conferring an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

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. 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, Stockbridge is ...

, in 1931 at age 81 and was buried 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. *In 1940, French was selected as one of five artists to be honored in the 35-stamp "Famous Americans" series. * Chester French was an American indie band named for the artist. * "Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor" (2022) is a documentary film by

Eduardo Montes-Bradley Eduardo Montes-Bradley is a documentary filmmaker. His most recent works are ''Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor'' and ''Black Fiddlers''. Life Montes-Bradley first appeared mentioned in Margareta Vinterheden's ''Man maste ju leva', Swe ...

produced in association with Chesterwood and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.HD, 60 minutes.

Works

Notable public monuments

*'' The Minute Man'' at the Old North Bridge in

, (1874) *Bust of Major General William Francis Bartlett at Memorial Hall, Harvard University, (1881) *'' John Harvard'',

Harvard Yard Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center and modern crossroads. It contains most of the freshman dormitories, Harvard's most important libraries, Memorial Church, seve ...

, (1884) *'' Lewis Cass'', National Statuary Hall, Washington DC, (1889) *''

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the education of the deaf in North America, and he bec ...

and Alice Cogswell'' (1889), Gallaudet University, Washington, DC *''

Thomas Starr King Thomas Starr King (December 17, 1824 – March 4, 1864), often known as Starr King, was an American Universalist and Unitarian minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War, and Freemason. Starr King spoke ...

monument''

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

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

, Chicago, 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 Boston, Massachusetts, (1897) *''

Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799July 13, 1859) was an American lawyer, orator, and Senator who represented Massachusetts as a member of the Whig Party. He is regarded as one of the greatest American lawyers of the 19th century, arguing over a th ...

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

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

, at 5th Avenue at 70th Street, opposite the Frick Collection, in New York City, (1900) *'' Commodore George H. Perkins Monument'' at the

New Hampshire State House The New Hampshire State House, located in Concord at 107 North Main Street, is the state capitol building of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor, and Executive Council. The building was constructed on a ...

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

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

* Statue of Wendell Phillips, Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts * ''The Four Continents – Asia, America, Europe, and Africa'', a group of four statues outside the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, NYC (1907) * George Robert White Memorial, Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts *

Statue of Samuel Spencer The Samuel Spencer statue is a public monument in Atlanta, Georgia. Dedicated in 1910, the monument was designed by Daniel Chester French, Henry Bacon, and the Piccirilli Brothers and honors Samuel Spencer, a railroad executive who died in 1 ...

, first president of Southern Railway, located in front of Goode Building (Norfolk Southern offices) on Peachtree Street in Midtown

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

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

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

(1909) * James Oglethorpe Monument, Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia (1910) *''

Standing Lincoln ''Abraham Lincoln: The Man'' (also called ''Standing Lincoln'') is a larger-than-life size bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. The original statue is in Lincoln Park in Chicago, and later re-castings of ...

'' at the Nebraska State Capitol,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United ...

, (1912) *''Brooklyn'' and ''Manhattan'', seated figures from the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York, (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 city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

, at Congress Park, 1915 *''

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 ...

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

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

(1919). *'' Marquis de Lafayette Memorial'', on the perimeter of Prospect Park (Brooklyn), at 9th Street and Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, New York, (1917) *'' Samuel Francis du Pont Memorial Fountain'', Dupont Circle, Washington DC (1921) *

Alfred Tredway White Alfred Tredway White (May 28, 1846 – January 29, 1921) was an American housing reformer and philanthropist, and was known as "Brooklyn's first citizen." He developed the Home Buildings (1877), Tower Buildings (1879, now Cobble Hill Towers) a ...

Memorial, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Henry Bacon architect (1921) *'' Russell Alger Memorial Fountain'',

Grand Circus Park The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, a ...

, Detroit, Michigan (1921). *''Marquis de Lafayette'' Statue, Lafayette College 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 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware Ri ...

(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 is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

and reliefs of Boabdil and Rip Van Winkle for the

Washington Irving Memorial The Washington Irving Memorial is located at Broadway (US 9) and West Sunnyside Lane in Irvington, New York. It features a bust of Irving and sculptures of two of his better-known characters by Daniel Chester French, set in a small stone plaza a ...

, Irvington, New York, (1927) *'' Beneficence'', Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. (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, Concord, New Hampshire *''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, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

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

Gallery

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

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 ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

File:Oreillymemorial.jpg, John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial (1897), Boston, Massachusetts File:Central Park NYC - Richard Morris Hunt Memorial by Daniel Chester French - IMG 5761.JPG, ''Architecture'' (1901),

Richard Morris Hunt Memorial The Richard Morris Hunt Memorial is an exedra of granite and marble, dedicated to the memory of the architect Richard Morris Hunt, designed by Bruce Price with three sculptures by Daniel Chester French, a bust of Hunt, and two flanking statues rep ...

File:Commodore George Hamilton Perkins crop.jpg, Statue of George H. Perkins (1902),

, Concord, New Hampshire 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 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 at the Old Dutch ...

File:Fountain at Dupont Circle.JPG,

Dupont Circle Fountain The Dupont Circle Fountain, formally known as the Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain, is a fountain located in the center of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. It honors Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, a prominent American ...

(1921), Dupont Circle, Washington DC File:RussellAlgersfoundGCircParkdetroit.jpg, Russell A. Alger Fountain (1921),

Detroit, Michigan 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 ...

File:Lady Wisconsin.jpg, ''

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

'' (1920), Wisconsin Capitol Building,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

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

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

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

)

Architectural sculpture

2010 Appellate courthouse Daniel Chester French Justice

*''Peace and Vigilance'' (alternatively ''America at War and Peace'') US Customhouse & Post Office, St. Louis, Missouri,

Alfred B. Mullett Alfred Bult Mullett (April 7, 1834 – October 20, 1890) was a British-American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildi ...

architect (1876–1882) *Pediment, New Hampshire Historic Society Building, Concord, New Hampshire, Guy Lowell, architect (1909–1911) *Bronze doors, Boston Public Library,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, McKim, Mead & White architects, (1884–1904) *''Justice,'' Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State, Manhattan, New York, James Brown Lord architect (1900) *''

'', Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, Manhattan, New York, Cass Gilbert architect, (1904, with

Adolph A. Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Ge ...

) *'' Progress of the State'', quadriga, Six statues on entablature, Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul, Minnesota, Cass Gilbert architect (1907) *''Jurisprudence'' and ''Commerce,'' Federal Building, Cleveland, Ohio, Arnold Brunner architect (1910) *''John Hampden,'' and ''Edward I'', two attic figures,

Cuyahoga County Courthouse The Cuyahoga County Courthouse stretches along Lakeside Avenue at the north end of the Cleveland Mall in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The building was listed on the National Register along with the mall district in 1975. Other notable buildings of ...

, Cleveland, Ohio, Lehman & Schmidt architects (1908, 1911) *Attic Figures, pediment, Brooklyn Museum, NYC, McKim, Mead & White architects (1912) *''

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

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

'' (1920), Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, Henry Bacon architect (1914–1922) *''Peace,'' sculpture for the Admiral George Dewey Triumphal Arch and Colonnade that was built in

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 ...

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

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

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

Cemetery monuments

*''

Death and the Sculptor ''Death and the Sculptor'', also known as the Milmore Monument and ''The Angel of Death and the Young Sculptor'' is a sculpture in bronze, and one of the most important and influential works of art created by sculptor Daniel Chester French. The w ...

'', a memorial for the grave of the sculptor

Martin Milmore __NOTOC__ Martin Milmore (1844–1883) was an American sculptor. Life and career Martin Milmore was born in Sligo, Ireland on September 14, 1844. He immigrated to Boston at age seven, graduated from Boston Latin School in 1860, took art lesson ...

in the Forest Hills cemetery,

; this received a medal of honor at

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, in 1900. (1893) *''Clark Memorial'',

Forest Hills Cemetery Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a publ ...

, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, (1894) *''Chapman Memorial'', Forest Home Cemetery,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, (1897) *''Angel of Peace'' –

George Robert White George Robert White (1847–1922) was an American philanthropist. Biography George Robert White was born in Lynnfield, Massachusetts on July 19, 1847. He was a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts for most of his life. As a boy he began worki ...

, Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, (1898) *''

Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial The Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial, also known as the Black Angel, is a historic object located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. This is the only work in Iowa by the American sculptor Daniel Chester French. with The cast bronze sculpture stands ...

'', Council Bluffs, Iowa. Often referred to as the "Black Angel". (1918) *''Memory, the Marshall Field Memorial'', Graceland Cemetery,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, Henry Bacon, architect (1906) *'' Slocum Memorial'',

in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts *''Melvin Memorial'',

, Henry Bacon, architect (1906–1908)

Selected museum pieces

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

*''

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 remember ...

'',

, marble carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, 1917–19, from a bronze of 1886–87, revised in 1909. *''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,

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desig ...

; Washington DC, signed and dated 1923.

Miscellaneous pieces

*''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 during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 1 ...

of 1871 *'' The Minute Man'': depicted on a US postage stamp issued in 1925, commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord *''Bust of John Brewster'', who endowed Brewster Academy in 1887. File:Lexington Concord-5c.jpg, Daniel Chester French's '' The Minute Man'' 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 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