August Leimbach (February 12, 1882 – December 18, 1965) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

- 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 ...

. A native of

Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...

, he studied art and sculpture, and after immigrating to the United States in 1910, he quickly settled in the St.Louis area and worked passionately as an architectural sculptor. August Leimbach provided much decorative architectural sculpture 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 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 ...

, but is best remembered for his work with Arlene B. Nichols Moss and the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

in the creation of the ''

Madonna of the Trail ''Madonna of the Trail'' is a series of 12 identical monuments to the spirit of pioneer women in the United States. The monuments were commissioned in the late 1920s by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) ...

'' monument in 1927. The material, a cast composite stone called "Aldonite" was selected before the sculptor was chosen and the design approved.Madonna of the Trail - Smithsonian American Art Museum
(pdf format) Twelve monuments were cast and placed in twelve designated cities across the United States, marking the National Old Trails Highway from Bethesda, Maryland to Upland, California. The sculpture itself are representative of the strength, courage, and role of the pioneer woman in establishing the early western territories. Each monument were dedicated in their respective state in 1928 and 1929. Leimbach died at age 83 and is buried next to his wife Frieda in Michelstadt, Germany.

References

External links

August Leimbach , Main Page''Madonna of the Trail'' Sculpture , Main Page
1882 births 1965 deaths 20th-century German sculptors German male sculptors 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States {{Germany-sculptor-stub