Daniel Chester French: Sculpting an American Vision

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on April 20, 1850, Daniel Chester French grew up in a New England family that valued and nurtured his talent. Failing physics, algebra and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and encouraged by his parents, French turned to his passion for sculpting. He received instruction from Abigail May Alcott, sister of the author Louisa, and went into business modeling portraits of family and friends and creating decorative figurines. By 1896, French was so successful that he was able to purchase a country home and second studio in the Berkshires. He and his family lived in Stockbridge from May through October for the next thirty-six years. When the sculptor died in 1931, his daughter Margaret French Cresson inherited the property, and it was she who gave the site to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The American cities of French's childhood were a hodgepodge of clapboard and brick buildings. By the 1920s, those same cities had become major centers of commerce and culture, with grand boulevards, ornate public buildings, and parks. Financiers and industrialists built extravagant mansions, but private patronage and public commissions also led to the construction of parks, museums, and monuments for all. Through the efforts of architects, artists, landscape planners, and craftsmen, America announced to the world that it was no rough frontier, but a vibrant society grounded in industry, commerce, and democracy. This movement was the "American Renaissance."

"Sculpting an American Vision" uses four of Daniel Chester French's greatest monuments to explore the American Renaissance and the central role the sculptor played in creating a national identity. The exhibition also asks us to examine the legacy of French and his peers and what their work means for Americans today.

Chesterwood, 4 Williamsville Road, PO Box 827, 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@nthp.org
Last modified on: September 29, 2009