History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 3: Civil War Memorials
Daniel Draddy, Civil War Soldiers' Monument, 1869. Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante

History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 3: Civil War Memorials

This occasional series of blog posts will highlight the most important of the outdoor sculptures in New York City and provide some historical and art-historical context. To read other blog…

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History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 2: Military and Foreign Heroes
By James Goodwin Batterson, General William Jenkins Worth Monument, 1857.

History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 2: Military and Foreign Heroes

This occasional series of blog posts will highlight the most important of the outdoor sculptures in New York City and provide some historical and art-historical context. To read other blog…

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Plaster Cast Collection in Springfield, MA
Verrocchio, Putto with Dolphin, ca. 1465-1480. Plaster cast at the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts.

Plaster Cast Collection in Springfield, MA

The Gilded Age mansions of the late nineteenth century were the homes of entrepreneurs who earned their wealth by advancing science, technology, and industry. Those same wealthy entrepreneurs established many…

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History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 1: Animals, Politicians, Folk Art
Henry Frederick Metzler, Atlas Clock, ca. 1853. Tiffany's, Fifth Avenue facade.

History of Outdoor Sculpture in NYC, 1: Animals, Politicians, Folk Art

The occasional series of blog posts that starts this week will highlight the most important of the outdoor sculptures in New York City and provide some historical and art-historical context.…

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Lost Central Park: south end
Casino in Central Park, 1863. Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners for Central Park, 1864.

Lost Central Park: south end

If you've read any of my books on Alexander Hamilton, you know I'm a fanatic about primary sources. So when I started to research Central Park, one of my first…

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MacMonnies’ Princeton Battle Monument
Frederic MacMonnies, Princeton Battle Monument, 1922. Princeton, NJ. Photo copyright © 2021 Dianne L. Durante

MacMonnies’ Princeton Battle Monument

On January 3, 1777, General George Washington and his tattered American forces defeated a British force at Princeton, New Jersey. Coming just a week after the Americans surprised the British…

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A Visit to Chesterwood, part 5
French's studio. Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA.

A Visit to Chesterwood, part 5

This is the last in my series of posts on a visit to Chesterwood in July 2021. Daniel Chester French is best known as the sculptor of the Lincoln in the Lincoln…

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A Visit to Chesterwood, part 4
Head of Victory, from the First Division Memorial of the American Expeditionary Force (Infantry) that served in World War I. 1924. Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA

A Visit to Chesterwood, part 4

Daniel Chester French is best known as the sculptor of the Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. For more, see the first post in this series. In this post: a selection of French’s works…

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A Visit to Chesterwood, part 3
Daniel Chester French, Genius of Creation, 1915. Left: model at Chesterwood. Right: photo from the Panama-Pacific Exposition, 1915.

A Visit to Chesterwood, part 3

Daniel Chester French is best known as the sculptor of the Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. For more, see the first post in this series. In this post: a selection of works displayed…

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A Visit to Chesterwood, part 2
Daniel Chester French, Lincoln, 1920. Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA.

A Visit to Chesterwood, part 2

Daniel Chester French is best known as the sculptor of the Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. For more, see the first post in this series. In this post: a selection of French’s…

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