Alexander Milne Calder (August 23, 1846 – June 4, 1923) (MILL-nee) was a Scottish 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 ...

best known for the architectural sculpture of

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the office ...

. Both his son,

Alexander Stirling Calder Alexander Stirling Calder (January 11, 1870 – January 7, 1945) was an American sculpture, sculptor and teacher. He was the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and the father of sculptor Alexander Calder, Alexander (Sandy) Calder. His best-kn ...

, and grandson,

Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...

, became significant sculptors in the 20th century.

Early life and education

Calder was born in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, the son of a tombstone carver. He attended the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

during which he worked for sculptor John Rhind, the father of sculptor J. Massey Rhind. Calder then moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he worked on the Albert Memorial. In 1868, he emigrated to the United States and settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he studied with Joseph A. Bailly and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Career

In 1873, he was hired by architect John McArthur Jr., to produce models for the sculptures adorning

. The commission required more than 250 marble and bronze pieces and took Calder twenty years to complete. That same year, Calder was commissioned by the forerunner of Philadelphia's current Association for Public Art, the Fairmount Park Art Association, to create an equestrian statue of Major General George Gordon Meade for Fairmount Park. Then in 1875, he won the competition for the colossal (37 foot tall) bronze statue of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

that was to crown the new City Hall's tower. That portrait sculpture remains to this day the largest atop any building in the world.DK Travel, ''DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country'', Westminster: Penguin Random House, 2017, 74-5. Calder is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

, a Philadelphia suburb.

Notable works

architectural sculpture, John McArthur Jr. architect,

, 1873 – 1893. *'' Major General George Gordon Meade'', West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, 1887 *''William Warner Tomb'', Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, 1889 *''William Penn'', 37-foot-tall statue atop

, Philadelphia, placed in 1894

Images

File:Alex M Calder.jpg, William Warner Tomb, Laurel Hill Cemetery (1889) File:73rd PA Infantry Monument.jpg, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry monument, Gettysburg Battlefield (1889) File:IndianFigureCityHallTowerc.1892.jpg, Indian Figure, prior to installation on City Hall, c. 1892 File:City Hall Philadelphia.jpg,

in 1899 File:Phlcityhalldetail.jpg, South Portal File:City Hall holiday.jpg, West Portal, illuminated with colored lights (2005) File:Philadelphia City Hall-zoom.JPG, ''

'' (1894), atop Philadelphia City Hall File:BillyPenn.jpg, ''William Penn'' faces northeast, so the face is generally in shadow File:Illustrated Souvenir of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa. (1918) (14769096904).jpg, Equestrian statue of George Meade, Fairmount Park (1887)

Sources

*Bach, Penny Balkin, ''Public Art in Philadelphia'', Temple University Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992 *Craven, Wayne, ''Sculpture in America'', Thomas Y Crowell Co, NY, NY 1968 *Fairmount Park Association, ''Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze and Stone'', Walker Publishing Co., Inc, NY. NY 1974 *Hayes, Margaret Calder ''Three Alexander Calders'', Paul S Eriksson Publisher, Middlebury, Vermont, 1977 *Kvaran and Lockley, ''A Guide to Architectural Sculpture in America'', unpublished manuscript *Williams, Oliver P., ''County Courthouses of Pennsylvania: A Guide'', Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA 2001

References

External links

Biography at West Laurel Hill Cemetery web siteAlexander Milne Calder page at Philadelphia Public ArtPlaque honoring Alexander Milne Calder at Philadelphia Public Art
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calder, Alexander Milne 1846 births 1923 deaths Artists from Aberdeen American architectural sculptors Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish sculptors Scottish male sculptors Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Artists from Philadelphia 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors American male sculptors Sculptors from Pennsylvania 19th-century American male artists Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery