Daniel Chester French

Daniel Chester French (1902)

Library of Congress

Quick Facts

Significance:

Sculptor of iconic works of American figures

Place of Birth:

Exeter, New Hampshire

Date of Birth:

April 20, 1850

Place of Death:

Stockbridge, MA

Date of Death:

October 7, 1931

Place of Burial:

Concord, MA

Cemetery Name:

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor who molded popular understanding of American history and identity in a way few others in the arts have. He is best known for sculpting the Minute Man statue in Concord, Massachusetts and marble statue of Abraham Lincoln within the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

French spent much of his youth in Exeter, New Hampshire where his father was a prominent lawyer and judge. At the age of 17, the family moved to Concord, Massachusetts where they intergrated quickly into the storied community that included the transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and other prominent figures. It was there that French also recieved his first training in art from Abigail May Alcott (1840–1879).  

A result of the family's local connections and French's growing skill as an artist, he is awarded a sculptural commission to mark the centennial of the "Shot Heard Round the World" at the outbreak of the American Revolution. Members of the local militia known as "minute men" had resisted British soldiers in Concord one hundred years earlier at the town's North Bridge. French's completed bronze statue continues to stand a silent vigil over this "rude bridge" and is now part of Minute Man National Historical Park. The monument has since become a symbol of American vigilance and the U.S. National Guard.

French had already left to study abroad when the Minute Man statue was unveiled in 1875. While in Europe, he worked in the Italian studio of American sculptor Thomas Ball and studied drawing under Paul Leon Glaize in Paris. Upon his return to the United States, French was greeted by a series of government commission. In his new position as Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary, his father continued to support French's career. Despite his concern over nepotism, French worked to demonstrate his artistic skill and talent. His works continue to receive positive acclaim and he soon secured a reputation rivaling the greatest American sculptors at the time.

One of these friendly rivals was noted sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens. The two would work and relax together throughout their lives, and French valued Saint-Gaudens' input and considerations. In 1881 and 1883, French visited the Cornish Colony for the summer where Saint-Gaudens was the central figure. Saint-Gaudens' New Hampshire estate, known as Aspet, later inspired French to create his own studio and home. In 1896, French established "Chesterwood" with the help of friend and architect Henry Bacon in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

In 1883, Saint-Gaudens recommended French for the towering 65-feet tall centerpiece at the Columbian Exhibition known as "The Republic". The two were also founding members of the National Sculptors Society. After Saint-Gaudens died in 1907, French assisted his widow, Augusta Homer Saint-Gaudens, to preserve his legacy through exhibitions of Saint-Gaudens'' works and governance of the Saint Gaudens Memorial. 

In 1914, Henry Bacon sought Daniel Chester French to complete a memorial to Abraham Lincoln as part of the long-delayed McMillan Plan to the develop a monumental core in Washington, DC. French completed his masterpiece of a massive Abraham Lincoln in 1920. The memorial was dedicated in 1922 and is now preserved as part of National Mall and Memorial Parks. The Lincoln Memorial has borne witness to some of the greatest and most influential moments in United States history including the famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The powerful and recognizable sculpture continues to inspire those who visit the nation's capital and beyond.