Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a German-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.

Early life and education

Adolph Alexander Weinman by Anthony de Francisci

Adolph Alexander Weinman was born in

Durmersheim Durmersheim is a small town in the district of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany and has a population of 12,112 (2020). Durmersheim is situated between Karlsruhe and Rastatt, in the valley of the river Rhine near the border to F ...

, near

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1885 at the age of 14. At 15, he attended evening classes at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

. He later studied at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

with sculptors

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...

and Philip Martiny.

Career

He was an assistant to the sculptors Charles Niehaus, Olin Warner, and

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...

before opening his studio in 1904. Although Weinman is now best remembered as a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

ist, he considered himself to be an architectural sculptor. His steadiest income was derived from the sale of small bronze reproductions of his larger works, such as ''Descending Night'', originally commissioned for the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

, San Francisco, 1915. Weinman was a member of the National Sculpture Society and served as its president from 1927 to 1930. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition 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 ...

. He served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1929 to 1933. He was also a member of 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 ...

, the

National Institute 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, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

, 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, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

, and the New York City Art Commission, among other organizations.

Death

Weinman died in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

, on August 8, 1952. Following a Mass at

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

's St. Patrick's Cathedral, he was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. Weinman's papers are at the Smithsonian

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

. His son Robert Weinman was also a sculptor, and his son Howard Weinman designed the Long Island Tercentenary half dollar commemorative coin.

Works

Despite his objections, Weinman is still best remembered as the designer of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, a design now used for the obverse of the American Silver Eagle one-ounce bullion coin, and the "Mercury" dime along with various medals for the Armed Services of the United States. Among these are the identical reverses of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the American Campaign Medal. Weinman was one of many sculptors and artists who employed Audrey Munson as a model. Weinman's work as an architectural sculptor can be found on the

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 ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

state capitols. He became the sculptor of choice for the architecture firm

McKim, Mead, and 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 ...

and designed sculpture for their

Manhattan Municipal Building The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (originally the Municipal Building and later known as the Manhattan Municipal Building) is a 40-story, building at 1 Centre Street (Manhattan), Centre Street, east of Chambers Street (Manhattan), Chambe ...

, Madison Square Presbyterian Church (completed 1906 and demolished 1919), Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, and Pennsylvania Railroad Station (completed 1910 and demolished 1963), all in

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 ...

. A photograph of one of his angels, ''Day'', in a landfill in New Jersey is one of the saddest reminders of the destruction of Penn Station in 1963, but two of his eagles were retained as trophies outside the entrance to the new subterranean Penn Station. Elsewhere he created the dramatic frieze on the Elks National Veterans Memorial in

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 ...

and executed sculpture for the Post Office Department Building, the Jefferson Memorial, and the interior of the U.S. Supreme Court, all in

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 ...

Weinman's non-architectural works include the Macomb and the Maybury monuments in

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 ...

. Another example of his non-architectural work is his Abraham Lincoln Statue (Kentucky) located in the center of Hodgenville, Kentucky. Weinman collaborated with Polish American sculptor Joseph Kiselewski to create a sculpture on the Bronx County Court House in New York City in the early 1930s. Weinman was one of 250 sculptors who exhibited at the 3rd Sculpture International held at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

in the summer of 1949. Weinman's works are mostly executed in a lyrical

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. His figures typically wear classical drapery, but there is a fluidity found in his work that is a harbinger of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style that was to follow him. His bronze statuette ''The Nude Golfer'' epitomizes this style. This work evokes classical sculpture in its attention to anatomy and movement and the nude status of the athlete while the subject, a modern

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

er, provides a modern twist. Weinman also taught; among his pupils was Eleanor Mary Mellon.

Selected works

Sculpture

*'' General Alexander Macomb'' (1906–1908), Detroit, Michigan. *'' Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument'' (1909), Wyman Park, Baltimore, Maryland. *''

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 ...

'' (1909), Hodgenville, Kentucky. A replica of this is at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. *'' Alexander Johnston Cassatt'', (1910), Pennsylvania Station, New York City. *''

'' (1911),

Kentucky State Capitol The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort, Kentucky, Frankfort and is the house of the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the Politics of the United States, state government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwe ...

, Frankfort, Kentucky. *William Cotter Maybury Memorial (1912), Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Michigan. *''Rising Sun'' (1914–15),

, San Francisco, California. *''Descending Night'' (1914–15) (model, Audrey Munson),

, San Francisco, California. *''Samuel Rea'' (1926), Pennsylvania Station, New York City. *'' Fountain of the Centaurs'' (ca. 1926),

Missouri State Capitol The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the Executive (government), executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, ...

, Jefferson City, Missouri. *Pair of ''Lions'' (1929–30),

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of modern art, ...

, Baltimore, Maryland. *''Dewitt Clinton'' (1941) and ''Alexander Hamilton'' (1941),

Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown, in 1923Beard, Rick. "Museum of the City of New York" in to preserve and present the history ...

, New York City. *''Riders of the Dawn'' (ca. 1942), Brookgreen Gardens, Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina. File:Macomb statue in detroit.jpg, '' General Alexander Macomb'' (1906–1908),

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:Baltimore Soldiers Sailors.jpg, '' Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument'' (1909), Wyman Park

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

File:Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway - Adolph Weinman's Abraham Lincoln Statue - NARA - 7720071 (cropped).jpg, ''

'' (1909)
Hodgenville, Kentucky File:Alexander Cassatt statue by Weinman at RMP.jpg, '' Alexander Johnston Cassatt'' (1910), Pennsylvania Station
New York City File:Statue of William C. Maybury.jpg, William Cotter Maybury Memorial (1912), Grand Circus Park,
Detroit, Michigan File:Civic Fame.jpg, ''Civic Fame'' (1913), atop

,
New York City File:DescendingNightAAW.jpg, ''Descending Night'' (1914–15),

,
San Francisco File:Samuel Rea Pennsta jeh.jpg, ''Samuel Rea'' (1926), Pennsylvania Station,
New York City. File:Missouri State Capitol and Fountain of the Centaurs-20150920-157.jpg, '' Fountain of the Centaurs'' (ca. 1926),

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

File:Urchin_Fountain_of_the_centaurs,_AA_Weinman,_sculptor.jpg, '' Fountain of the Centaurs'', detail (ca. 1926),

File:Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture12.jpg, ''Riders of the Dawn'' (ca. 1942), Brookgreen Gardens,
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina File:Adolph Weinman eagle.JPG, One of the four Adolf Weinman eagles of the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument File:Eagle by Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument.jpg, One of four bronze eagle sculptures surrounding the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in the Fort Greene Historic District

Architectural sculpture

*Architectural sculpture (1903–04), Pennsylvania Station,

McKim, Mead and 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, (demolished 1964). Salvaged pieces of statuary survive in multiple locations. *Architectural sculpture (1904–1906), Madison Square Presbyterian Church, New York City,

, architects, (demolished 1919). *Architectural sculpture (1908), Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York City,

, architects. *Masonic Sphinxes: ''Power'' and ''Wisdom'' (1911–1915), House of the Temple, Washington, D.C.,

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architecture, architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 193 ...

, architect. *Architectural sculpture (1913–1915),

, New York City,

, architects. *Bronze doors (1921–1923),

administration building, West 155th Street, Audubon Terrace, Manhattan, New York City. *Architectural sculpture (1924–1926), Elks National Veterans Memorial, Chicago, Illinois. *Architectural sculpture: South Pediment (ca. 1926),

, Jefferson City, Missouri. *Architectural sculpture: ''Destiny'' Pediment (1935),

National Archives Building The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, is the headquarters of the United States National Archives and Records Administration. It is located north of the National Mall at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.), Penn ...

, Washington, D.C. *''Drafting the Declaration of Independence'' (1939–1943), pedimental sculpture honoring the Committee of Five on the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C. File:NYP LOC4.jpg, Pennsylvania Station, New York City (1903–04, demolished 1964) File:Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain Kansas City MO.jpg, Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain (1968), Kansas City, Missouri. Salvaged pieces from Pennsylvania Station,

File:Eagle Statue - National Zoo - Washington, DC.jpg, ''Eagle'', National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Salvaged from Pennsylvania Station,
New York City File:Adolph Weinman eagle.JPG, ''Eagle'' (1908), one of four that decorated the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument

Brooklyn, New York City 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 ...

File:Weinman-Sphinx-WashingtonDC.jpg, ''Wisdom'' Sphinx (1911–1915), House of the Temple,

File:Audubon Terrace American Academy of Arts and Letters West 155th Street entrance detail 2.jpg, Detail, bronze doors,

West 155th Street entrance, (1921–1923)
New York City File:Weinman in Davenport.jpg,

Spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...

figure (1923), First National Bank Building,

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

File:Elks memorial Chicago.jpg, ''The Glory of Peace'' Frieze (1924–1926), Elks National Veterans Memorial,

Chicago, Illinois 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 ...

File:Destiny (pediment).JPG, ''Destiny'' Pediment (1935),

,
Washington, D.C. File:Jefferson Memorial DC.jpg, ''Drafting the Declaration of Independence'' Pediment (1939–1943), Jefferson Memorial,
Washington, D.C.

U.S. coins and medals

* 1904 World Fair, Louisiana Purchase Exposition award Medals The obverse of the medal depicts two female figures above the date MCMIV (1904). The tall taller figure is Columbia, with her arms spread wide holding the United States flag. The youthful maiden at her side represents the Louisiana Purchase Territory. Emblematic of her reception into the union, the maiden is divesting herself of the cloak of France, the material decorated with bees, the emblem of Napoleon. In the background is the rising sun, marking the dawn of a new era of progress to the nation. Encircling the two figures are the words “Universal Exposition – Saint Louis – United States of America.” The reverse shows an architectural tablet inscribed with “Gold Medal” and “Louisiana Purchase Exposition”. Below the tablet are two dolphins symbolizing the nations’ eastern and western boundaries, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Above the tablet is a large eagle with its wings spread. The inscription reads “Gold Medal (Silver and Bronze Medals were also given out) Louisiana Purchase Exposition 1904”. In addition to the medal a diploma of award was also given to the recipient. The medal weights approximately 3.5 ounces. * Mercury dime (1916–1945). More than two billion Mercury dimes were minted before it was replaced by the Roosevelt dime in 1946.Lange, David W. ''A Complete Guide Book to Mercury Dimes'' (Virginia Beach, Va.: DLRC Press, 1993). . The design is now used as the obverse of the American Palladium Eagle coin, which has been produced since 2017. * Walking Liberty half dollar (1916–1947). Replaced by the

Franklin half dollar The Franklin half dollar is a United States coinage, coin that was Coining (mint), struck by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. The Half dollar (United States coin), fifty-cent piece pictures Founding Fathers of the United States, Foundin ...

(1948). Weinman's carving is now used as the obverse of the American Silver Eagle coin, which has been produced since 1986. * J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award – awarded by the American Numismatic Society. Weinman was the second recipient of this medal.

References

Notes Bibliography * Kvaran and Lockley, ''A Guide to the Architectural Sculpture of America'', unpublished manuscript

External links

*
Adolph A. Weinman Papers at the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtA.A. Weinman (1870-1952) at the R. W. Norton Art Gallery
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinman, Adolph Alexander 1870 births 1952 deaths Artists from Karlsruhe Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Art Students League of New York alumni 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists National Sculpture Society members Sculptors from New York (state) American currency designers Coin designers Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics