John Albert Wilson (1877 – December 8, 1954) was a Canadian sculptor who produced public art for commissions throughout North America. He was a professor in the

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is a professional school or institution specializing in architectura ...

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 ...

for 32 years. He is most famous for his

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Monuments: the statue on the Confederate Student Memorial (''

Silent Sam The Confederate Monument, University of North Carolina, commonly known as ''Silent Sam'', is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier by Canadian sculptor John A. Wilson, which once stood on McCorkle Place of the University of North Carolin ...

'') on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the

Washington Grays Monument ''Washington Grays Monument'', also known as the Pennsylvania Volunteer, is a bronze statue by John A. Wilson. The monument represents the Washington Grays who served in the 17th, 21st and 49th Pennsylvania Militia during the American Civil Wa ...

(''Pennsylvania Volunteer'') 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 ...

. Renowned sculptor and art historian

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860 – October 30, 1936) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, ''Fountain of Time'', ''Spirit of the Great Lakes'', and ''The ...

wrote of the latter work, "No American sculpture, however, has surpassed the compelling power which John A. Wilson put into his steady, motionless 'Pennsylvania Volunteer'." Wilson created his studio (the "Waban Studio") at

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is best known for being home to Boston College and a section of the Boston Marathon route. Like all Massachusetts villages, Ch ...

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (; 18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-born American architect and founder of the Bauhaus, Bauhaus School, who is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture. He was a founder of ...

, known as a pioneering master of

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

, said the studio "is the most beautiful in the world."

Life and career

He was born in

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,471 ...

(Potter's Brook), son of John and Annie (Cameron) Wilson. His grandfather was a stonemason who emigrated from

Beauly Beauly ( ; ; ) is a village in Scotland's Highland (council area), Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North Line, Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the County of Inverness. ...

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 ...

. Wilson attended New Glasgow High School. At the age of fifteen he created a sculpture of a lion out of freestone (1891). In 1896, at age nineteen, he went to Boston to study art. During the day he attended the Cowles Art School of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

, where he studied drawing and painting under Bela Pratt. He worked in the evenings as an usher in a theatre, and he worked on the weekends as a professional boxer at the Boston Athletic Club. While at the Fine Arts school, Wilson displayed his work ''The Crawling Panther'' (also known as the ''Stalking Panther'') at the

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club is an arts organization in Boston, Massachusetts, which serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceive ...

(1905). He received attention from ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' and ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'' newspapers for this work. The latter wrote that it was a "powerful work by a very young man". He graduated from the

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Mass ...

in 1905. He next worked as an assistant to Henry Kitson. Beginning in 1906, Wilson taught classes for the

Copley Society of Art The Copley Society of Art is the oldest non-profit art association in the United States. It was founded in 1879 by the first graduating class of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and continues to play an important role in promoting its member ...

in Boston. He joined the board of directors in 1913 and taught there for 32 years until 1945. In 1927, he was named Director of Classes. One of his students at the Society was

John Hovannes John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

(1900-1973). In 1917, Wilson started to teach at

when the scholarly

Abbott Lawrence Lowell Abbott Lawrence Lowell (December 13, 1856 – January 6, 1943) was an American educator and legal scholar. He was president of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. With an "aristocratic sense of mission and self-certainty," Lowell cut a large ...

was president. He was appointed Instructor in Modelling, School of Architecture, Harvard University. He served at Harvard for 32 years, retiring in 1949. During his tenure at the Copley Society and Harvard, Wilson also taught in various other places. Wilson taught for 5 years at the

Worcester Art Museum The Worcester Art Museum houses over 38,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day and representing cultures from all over the world. The museum opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its holdings include Roman mosaics, Europe ...

(1917–22), where he would complete the ''Hector Monument'' (1923) with his student Evangeline Eells Wheeler. He taught one year at the

(1921–22), three years at Children's

Walker School The Walker School is a historic elementary school building on Berkley Street in Taunton, Massachusetts. It is a two-story brick Georgian Revival building, with a hip roof. Its main facade is 11 bays wide, organized in a 4-3-4 pattern. The main ...

, and three years at

Bradford College Bradford College is a further and higher education college in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, with approximately 25,000 students. The college offers a range of full and part-time courses from introductory level through to postgraduate le ...

. He also taught at his own studio in Chestnut Hill. In 1913, he had built his home and his "Waban Studio" at 101 Waban Hill Rd, Chestnut Hill, where he lived for 36 years. After 50 years, when he retired, Wilson returned in 1949 to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He lived there for five years at East River, Potter's Bridges, New Glasgow.

Death

Wilson died on December 8, 1954, at Aberdeen Regional Hospital, New Glasgow. Before his passing, he donated property to the Aberdeen Hospital. It was later replaced by Glen Haven Manor now stands. A plaque in his honor hangs in the Hospital's cafeteria. He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery,

Works

American Civil War

The year after Wilson graduated from

(1905), he received his first major recognition when he was commissioned by the State of Pennsylvania to make the

to the men who served in the American Civil War. In 1909, Wilson's soldier's monument for all soldiers of war was unveiled on Dudley's Town Common (in front of the First Congregational Church),

Dudley, Massachusetts Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2020 census. History Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named for landholders Paul and Wil ...

. A crowd of 1200 was in attendance. Four-sided and capped with the sculpture of an American eagle, the multiwar memorial has inscriptions for the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

: "To the memory of Dudley's Heroes who bore arms to found an Independent Nation - 1776"; the

: "Her Patriots of 1861-1865 who offered their lives to Preserve this Union"; and the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

: "her soldiers in the Spanish-Philippines War, 1878." In 1909, Wilson created the "Massachusetts Monument" in the Baton Rouge National Cemetery. The commemorative monument on its grounds, was erected to honor Massachusetts sailors and soldiers who died in Civil War battles in the Gulf region. The granite monument is inscribed with the names of the Infantries and Light Batteries that served in the Gulf theater of operations. Massachusetts Governor Ebenezer Sumner Draper attended the proceedings. In 1911, he created a statue of Private Daniel A. Bean of

Brownfield, Maine Brownfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,631 at the 2020 census. Brownfield is home to the Stone Mountain Arts Center. History The area was once territory of the Pequawket Abenaki Indians, whose ma ...

, 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Major Sylvanus Bangs Bean served with the 11th Maine Regiment along with his son, Daniel A. Bean. Daniel was killed in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 137,148 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, seve ...

, as a result of being shot in both thighs during the war. Daniel died before his father Sylvanus could see him at the field hospital. Daniel died on June 6, 1864, and is buried at Plot: D 2820,

Hampton National Cemetery Hampton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Hampton, Virginia. It encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 30,000 interments. There are two separate parts to this facility. The original cemetery is called the "Ham ...

, Hampton, Virginia, US. The statue of Daniel Bean stands in Brownfield, Maine, where the roads to Hiram and Denmark diverge. Of all the Civil War memorials erected by Maine towns, this remarkable monument was the only one cast in the image of a real person. The absence of weapons distinguishes it even further. The boy stands as he would have on his last day at home, taking the Oath of Induction. In 1913, Wilson was commissioned by the North Carolina Chapter of the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...

to make the Confederate Monument, later known as

, as a monument to the students of

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

who served in the Confederate forces. It was the first major work Wilson created in his new "Waban Studio". Although this statue, unlike that of Bean, is armed, it has been described as "silent" because the soldier has no cartridge box on his belt so he cannot fire his gun. In August 2018 the statue was torn down by protestors; as of February 2020 it is not on display and no decision has been made on its future disposition.

Firemen's Memorial, Boston

In 1909, Wilson created

Firemen's Memorial (Boston) ''Firemen’s Memorial'' is a statue located in Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Boston. Gallery File:Firemen's Monument, Boston by John A Wilson - close.jpg, Firemen's Memorial File:Firemen's Monument, Boston by John A Wilson- far.jpg F ...

for the Firemen's Lot at

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

, Jamaica Plain, Boston. Each year on the second Sunday in June, memorial services sponsored by the Charitable Association of the Boston Fire Department are held at the Firemen's Memorial at Forest Hills Cemetery in order to pay tribute to deceased members so they would be assured of a decent and final resting place and they would not necessarily end up in Pauper's Field.

Harvard University

While teaching at Harvard University (1917–46), Wilson made numerous sculptures of figures connected to the University. Perhaps the best known figure is the

Janitor A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of Industry (economics), industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter ...

in the

Fogg Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

entitled "George". Articles with a photo of George Archambeau were printed in both ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' when the bust was unveiled in September 1932. Wilson also made two busts of

William Crowninshield Endicott William Crowninshield Endicott (November 19, 1826 – May 6, 1900) was an American politician and Secretary of War in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland (1885–1889). Early life Endicott was born in Salem, Massachusetts ...

, one in the Fogg Museum and the other in

Harvard University Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United States. Each class ...

(1932). Wilson also made two busts of Harvard president

. One is a marble bust in the Faculty Room,

University Hall (Harvard University) University Hall is a white granite building designed by the great early American architect Charles Bulfinch and built by the noted early engineer Loammi Baldwin Jr. It is located in Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, ...

(1930) and the other is a bronze bust at

Lowell House Lowell House is one of twelve undergraduate Harvard House system, residential Houses at Harvard University, located at 10 Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Officially, it is named for the Lowel ...

Residence,

Wilson also made the mould for the commorative punch bowl and dishes for Harvard University's tercentennial (1936). One of Wilson's most famous Harvard graduates was sculptor Wheeler Williams who wrote to him, :How very lucky I was to find myself in your class in the basement of Robison Hall. If it had not been for that, classes at the

and Sundays in your studio, I fear my life long dream of being a sculptor would not have materialized. Where anybody today could get the sound training you gave us, I have no idea.

Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia monuments were made in the same year (1923). The Hector Pioneer was made in the

. Wilson's assistant for the work was Evangeline (Eells) Wheeler. The sculpture was unveiled 17 July 1923 on the 150 Anniversary of the arrival of the ship

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

. The Governor General of Canada Field Marshal

Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, (11 September 1862 – 6 June 1935), was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the List of governors general of Ca ...

led the proceedings.

The Lion Series

Wilson made a series of nine lions in freestone early in his career. The location of six of these lions is unknown. Three of these lions remain in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. One of the lions is on the grounds of the Lionstone Inn, an establishment named after the sculpture. The other two lions are at the Carmichael-Stewart House Museum. One of these Wilson made at the age of 15 before he moved to Boston (1891). The other lion at the museum Wilson made while studying in Boston (1902). The sculpture representing Great Britain in South Africa during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

and was noted as being "an admirable piece of modelling from one of his age". In March 1902 the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

accepted this lion for its annual exhibition in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Other

* Monument on the American Civil War

Antietam National Battlefield Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 186 ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

* Major Henry Gustavus Dorr, made at

Grundmann Studios Grundmann Studios (1893–1917) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a building on Clarendon Street in the Back Bay. It contained artist's workspaces and multipurpose function rooms Copley Hall and Allston Hall. Prior to 1893, it functioned as a ...

(1915) *

at the

(1932) *

Death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...

of Admiral

William Sims William Sowden Sims (October 15, 1858 – September 28, 1936) was an admiral in the United States Navy who fought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the navy. During World War I, he commanded all United States naval force ...

* Soldier's monument

* Massachusetts Monument, Baton Rouge National Cemetery,

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, Marble Bust, Faculty Room,

(1930) *

, Bronze Bust,

* "Dancing Figure", Algonquin Club, Boston * Symbolic Panels,

Brookline High School Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in Brookline, Massachusetts. It is a part of Public Schools of Brookline. As of the 2023–24 school year, 2117 students were enrolled in the high school, served by 191.8 teachers (on an ...

, Boston (1923) * "Panther" * "Stalking Panther", Boston Art Club Exhibition (1905) * "The Chase" * "Goat", Sandy, Poland Spring,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

* Alexander Forrester tablet,

Nova Scotia Community College Nova Scotia Community College or NSCC is a Canadian community college serving the province of Nova Scotia through a network of 14 campuses and three community learning centres. The college delivers over 130 programs in five academic schools: Acc ...

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

()

Image gallery

File:Silent Sam.jpg, Confederate soldier

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

File:Massachusetts Monument by John Wilson Baton Rouge National Cemetery.jpg, Massachusetts Monument, Baton Rouge National Cemetery (1909) File:LawrenceLowellHarvardUniversityByJohnAWilson.jpg,

File:HarvardUniversityDishesByJohnWilson1936.jpg, Harvard University Commemorative Pieces - Tercentennial (1936) File:HectorPioneerByJohnWilsonPictouNS.jpg, Hector Pioneer (1923) by John Wilson,

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Pictou County, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pict ...

File:Forrester Monument By John Wilson Truro Nova Scotia.jpg, Alexander Forrester Monument (c.1923), NSCC, Truro, Nova ScotiaHistory of the Forrester Memorial
/ref> File:Brownfield Maine Civil War Monument by John Wilson.jpg, Union private Daniel A. Bean of

, 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

References

Texts * Eric Barker. "John Wilson: Famous Nova Scotian from N.G." ''The Evening News'', New Glasgow, N.S., 3 May 1972: * James Cameron. ''More About New Glasgow''. 1974. pp. 191–195 * Clyde MacDonald. ''More Notable Pictonians.'' 2004. pp. 48–85. * G.E.G. MacLaren. "Nova Scotia's First Sculpture John A. Wilson. ''Nova Scotia Historical Quarterly,'' Vol. #3:2 (1973): 4 pp. Endnotes

External links

Firemen Fighter's Memorial, Forest Hills, Boston

Massachusetts_Monument_Baton_Rouge_Louisiana

* ttp://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8000/SEARCH/BASIS/aich/advanced/www/DDW?W%3DARDD_INDEX++%3D++++1954%26M%3D20%26K%3D17479%26R%3DY%26U%3D1 Artists in Canada
Grey Box Collection

Lionstone Inn, Pictou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John (sculptor) 1877 births 1954 deaths Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Artists from Nova Scotia Harvard Graduate School of Design faculty Date of birth missing 20th-century Canadian sculptors Canadian expatriates in the United States