The Studio at Chesterwood

Chesterwood is the former country home, studio and gardens of American sculptor, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). After purchasing the estate in 1896, French commissioned his friend and colleague architect Henry Bacon (1866-1924) to design his ideal studio. Bacon and French collaborated together on numerous commissions, most notably the Lincoln Memorial. The current studio stands where the barn used to be, close to the residence and with a magnificent view of Monument Mountain. Preparations for building the Studio began in 1897 and by August 1898, French was receiving callers.

As the third studio French had personally designed, the Studio at Chesterwood incorporates elements from previous work spaces French used. The workroom is 30 feet long and 29 feet wide with 26 foot walls with an even taller hipped roof in order to accommodate the most ambitious of commissions. The windows and skylight on the North wall facilitate the constant northern light pouring into the Studio. The hanging light fixtures date back to the installation of electricity in the Studio in 1915.

Unique to Chesterwood, and designed by French himself, are rail tracks leading from inside the main Studio space through doors measuring 22 feet in height to the outdoors. Removable floor panels and a standard flatcar are incorporated directly into the Studio floor. After lifting these panels, the flatcar can be pushed outside on tracks. After a sculpture was pushed out to the end of the track, French would usually stand in the field below, gazing up at his work to experience the appropriate viewing distance and the full effect of his work in natural light. He would then continue to work on his sculpture out-of-doors on the track.

Today, the Studio contains an abundant variety of sketches and full-size models on display in a manner based on period photographs as reference. Hanging from the walls are commercial casts he bought in addition to life casts French made of the hands of family and friends to use as a reference. Also on display are French's sculpture tools and personal items he collected such as animal horns and pottery.

Off of the main Studio space is a Casting Room and Reception Room. In the Casting Room is an installation showing the casting process from clay to plaster models. Following a tradition of city studios, a reception room was included to accommodate the social courtesies required of a working sculptor. Still in place are works of art by fellow artists and a fireplace mantel designed by French.

Chesterwood, PO Box 827, 4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262 Phone: 413-298-3579 www.chesterwood.org - This project was supported in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services - www.imls.org -
chesterwood@nhtp.org
Last modified on: September 11, 2009