Little Studio

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Cornish, NH

Significance:

Private workspace of internationally renowned artist, sculptor, teacher, and leader in American culture, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Designation:

National Park, National Register of Historic Places, National Landmark

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Restroom - Seasonal, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Light from a wall of windows illuminates this place of creativity, inspiration, and exhibition. Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) worked here alone, or with a few chosen assistants. The artist sketched, designed, and modeled many of his large monuments and smaller reliefs in this space while the remainder of his studio staff worked in the larger, Studio of the Caryatids.

When Saint-Gaudens first came to Cornish in 1885, he converted an old hay barn on this spot into a studio to work on the “Standing Lincoln” and other sculptures. In 1904, the barn was replaced by this studio, designed by architect George Fletcher Babb.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens created an environment that both inspired him and put his own work in a continuum of Western Art. Outside, a reproduction of the Parthenon freeze in Greece overlooks the columned pergola. Inside, the artist looked upon reproduction paintings from the Italian Renaissance. Today, visitors can enter the private studio of this sculptor at the center of the artistic and cultural movement known as the American Renaissance.

The interior of the Little Studio is open seasonally.