The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction Image of the 37 inch version of the MacNeil piece.

“A CHIEF OF THE MULTNOMAH TRIBE”

(1905)

Hermon Atkins MacNeil

In 2021 the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction offered an artwork for sale by Hermon Atkins MacNeil.

Actual Sale Price:

$351,000

Title:

A Chief of the Multnomah Tribe

(1905)

Type:  Sculpture

Medium:  Bronze

Style:  Other

Subject:  Western/Indian

Signature:  Signed and Dated

Size:  37.00″ x 12.00″

Foundry Mark:  Roman Bronze Works N-Y-

Description:  Estimate $30,000-50,000.

SOLD FOR $351,000 ~ A WORLD-RECORD

AT THE COEUR D’ALENE ART AUCTION-RENO!

Now taking consignments for our 2022 auction.

For more information please call 208.772.9009 or

cdaartauction.com

“Coming of the White Man” original clay model 72 inches high at the Poppenhusen Institute in College Point, Queens, New York.

This “Chief of the Mulnomah Tribe” was a 37″ statue.

It was half the height

of the 74″

Chief

sculpted for the original

“Coming of the

White Man”

seen at right ==>

in the original clay model

now at the

Poppenhusen Institute

in College Point where MacNeil donated it before his death.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Chief of the Multnomah”

Here are MORE Postings on this site:

1).

Another of Hermon MacNeil’s “Chief of the Multnomah” Discovered in Vernon, New Jersey Posted on May, 31, 2015

Another Chief of the Multnomah

I’ve been noticing a magnificent piece of the scultpture for the past few years, located in Vernon N.J. at the Minerals Spa and Resort. After closer examination I discovered it is Chief Multnomah with his arms crossed, standing on tip toes looking outward. “The coming of the white man” is the title usually ascribed to this work, but in this case the chief stands alone without his scout or assistant as pictured on your web-site. It is signed simply, H.A. Macneil S.C. 04. Just thought it was a variation of the piece that you might find interesting.I’m not really sure how long its been there, because I’m relatively new to the area. Being a sculptor myself and one that is particularly fond on the late 19th cent/early 20th cent period, with the likes of Rodin, Bayre, Dega, etc. Macneil certainly is a strong and salutory member of that period. Regards, D. Moldoff.

My response was as follows:

Dear D. L. Moldoff,

Thanks for noticing sculpture around you and sharing the information. The ‘Chief Multnomah’ is the larger Half of H. A. MacNeil’s “The Coming of the White Man.” (COTWM). While the COTWM piece is only at the Washington Park in Portland, OR, where it was commissioned for that city. The original plaster sculpture model is in the Poppenhusen Institute in Queens, NYC, just blocks from MacNeil’s studio.

2).

“Chief of the Multnomah” ~ DO WE HAVE ONE? ~ ??????? Posted on Dec 21, 2013

In the Summer of 2013, I received an email from Linette Porter-Metler of the Mount Vernon and Knox County Library of Mount Vernon, Ohio. She enclosed the photos you see below.

Linette entitled her email,

“DO WE HAVE ONE?”

Here is what she said:

Thanks for your website!

We are a four-library public library system in Central Ohio. All year, we have been celebrating our 125^th Anniversary here as a public library in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and during our research we found that one of our sculptures donated to us in 1936 by a Dr. Freeman Ward may be one of The Chief of the Multnomah statues shown on your site. But it does have some differences as you can see by the photo compared to the one on your site at the New York museum.

Ours does not seem to have a number stating it was one of the copies (i.e. 4/20)..All it has is his name, the word “Multnomah”, and the number “03” etched on the side of his footrest. I will send photos. Also, there is a copper? Twisted piece at top of bow near his shoulder.

I will enclose as many photos as I can. If you have any further information to share with us about this, we would appreciate it!

Thanks!

Linette Porter-Metler, Community Relations / Public Affairs, Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, 201 N. Mulberry Street, Mount Vernon, OHIO

My answer is simply:

YES, MT. VERNON,

YOU HAVE ONE !

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

3).

Another “Chief of the Multnomah” Has Appeared in the East. Posted on Nov, 10, 2011

One of MacNeil’s “Chief of the Multnomah Tribe”, (which has seen a lot in American history since 1904, and even more since “The Coming of the White Man”) still stands guard silently over a once $25,000,000 estate in Easton, MD, known as Hidden Bridge Farm. The future of both the “Chief” and the Estate remain uncertain. The waterfront playground property is now locked in Chapter 7 bankruptcy being handled by Easton attorney, James Vidmar.

These photos show “A Chief of the Multnomah” as he overlooks the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This same MacNeil statue featured in the previous posting on Nov. 8, 2011 was once owned by John A. Porter.

A source has told us that the “Chief” was placed as the centerpiece on this 540-acre Estate by “John A. Porter.” Porter achieved front page fame as the former CEO of Worldcom before its colossal collapse in 2000-2. The scandal brought Worldcom into the news as the “Enron” of the tele-communication industry.

Daniela Deane, House Gossip for the Washington Post, described the situation in 2002 in this way:

Hidden Bridge Farm, a 540-acre spread with five houses on it, is for sale for $26.5 million — about $16.5 million more than any other property has sold for on the Eastern Shore. The farm sits on 1.5 miles of waterfront on the Choptank River, about 10 miles southwest of Easton.

Besides the 10,000-square-foot all-brick manor house, the property also has a waterfront farmhouse, a 3,000-square-foot guest house, a caretaker’s house, a guest cottage and two two-bedroom … Source: [ Daniela Deane. “House gossip; Eastern Shore Estate Asks a Record Price.” The Washington Post. Washingtonpost Newsweek Interactive. 2002. Retrieved November 08, 2011 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-325206 ]

Deane’s story details one of the holdings of John A. Porter who was worth over $500,000,000 in 1999. Now, however, he is broke. After loosing the Maryland property and “Chief Multnomah,” he has had to scale down to a 10,000 sq foot ocean-front mansion in Palm Beach. That little homestead retreat is worth much less than Hidden Bridge only about $17,000,000. Fortunately, Florida has a generous “Homestead Act”, known by locals as the “mansion loophole” act.

Some folks suggest that you might be able to “buy the farm” for possibly $14 Million, once it comes on the market. The “Chief “ may (or may not) be included in the selling price.

4).

If MacNeil’s “Chiefs” Could Speak, What would They tell us Today? Posted on Nov 13, 2011

(Photo by Elizabeth Daley, Queens Chronicle) Posted on June 1, 2011

A recent estate auction featured a “Chief of the Multnomah” which is the right-hand half of the “Coming of the White Man” pair.

“Everything Must Go” was a feature story in the “Queens Chronicle” by Elizabeth Daley, editor (March 11, 2011). Michael Halberian lived in the former Steinway Family Mansion. It is uncertain whether the MacNeil sculpture was a Steinway heirloom that sold with the mansion or whether Mike discovered it in his appraisal work.

The Poppenhusen Institute houses this plaster model of “A Chief of the Multnomah” donated in 1920 by MacNeil. It represents half of the “Coming of the White Man” grouping comissioned in 1904 for the City of Portland, Oregon by the family of David P. Thompson. (photo courtesy of Bob Walker, College Point)

“A Chief of the Multnomah” is silent, but If he could only speak and share his observations of 150 years with the White Man

Another of Hermon MacNeil’s “Chief of the Multnomah” Discovered in Vernon, New Jersey (7) Hermon MacNeil’s “Chief of the Multnomah” was cast in full…
Hermon MacNeil ~ Postcard ~ 2012 MacNeil Month #1 ~ “Coming of the White Man” (6) February is “MacNeil Month at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com Feb 27th, 2012 is…
MacNeil Sculptures at Metropolitan Museum of Art — NYC: “The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925” (6) Several sculptures of Hermon Atkins MacNeil are featured in a…
MacNeil Statue of Chief Manuelito Being Restored (5) Professor Carolyn Milligan has informed us that the 115 year…
MacNeil Postcard #3 ~ ‘From Chas. Aug 24, 1907’ (5) This month’s MacNeil postcard again features the “Coming of the…

Categories : Location

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Jul

1916 MacNeil Sketch for Reverse of the SLQ

By Dan Leininger, Webmaster · Comments (0)

Jay Cline’s book, Standing Liberty Quarters, 4th Ed., includes 35 letters of correspondence between President Wm. Taft, H. A. MacNeil, officials of the US Mint, and the U.S. Treasury, discussing designs and changes from 1915-1917.

Many Design Changes produced the …

“Standing Liberty

Quarter”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2018 at the

Florida United Numismatists (FUN)

Convention in Orlando,

a Heritage US Coins Auction revealed an early sketch of Hermon MacNeil for the reverse of his Liberty Standing Quarter.

This news was recently retrieved from CoinWeek and is offered here for Friends of Hermon Atkins MacNeil to enjoy on this website dedicated to his life and works.

~ ~ ~ ~

Preliminary MacNeil Sketch for the

Reverse of the Standing Liberty Quarter

Retrieved from CoinWeek – on 6-29-2022 – Originally published there on December 27, 2017 ~ 1096 views ~~ See original: Click HERE

As offered as LOT #4469 in the Heritage 2018 January FUN US Coins Signature Auction and described in the catalog below, this is original artwork for a proposed reverse of the Standing Liberty Quarter. a true piece of numismatic history sketched by Hermon MacNeil.

“Paper: 7.5×10 in. Sketch: 5.5 in. dia. Famously displayed in the Eric P. Newman Money Museum, this original Hermon MacNeil sketch of a proposed reverse for the Standing Liberty quarter was salvaged from the sculptor’s studio after his death in 1947 by John A. Coughlin, a neighbor and professional illustrator. Per research by Roger Burdette, who plated this and other MacNeil sketches in Renaissance of American Coinage, 1916-1921 (2005), Coughlin was also the source of MacNeil scrapbooks and related documents that now reside in the Smithsonian Archives in Washington D.C. This sketch was also plated by Don Taxay in The U.S. Mint and Coinage (1966).

This drawing was among those presented to Mint Director Woolley in late March 1916, as a proposed revision of the reverse design for the quarter. It incorporates the olive branches used on the later patterns, but they are shorter here and lack the ribbon ties. E PLURIBUS UNUM is tucked in the field above the eagle’s wings with the other legends around the border. Wingtip feathers protruding downward from the eagle’s body suggest that MacNeil repositioned the far wing partway through the execution of the sketch. Although many elements are individually different, the overall similarity of this design’s layout to the reverse of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle may have contributed to Woolley not choosing it for the quarter. After all, having MacNeil revise his quarter designs after the end of the competition was intended to assure a distinctive appearance for each denomination.

The paper shows minor yellowing and foxing, particularly around three of the edges.
Ex: Hermon MacNeil; John A Coughlin; Eric P. Newman (c. 1960); Eric P. Newman Collection / ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2016), lot 3820.”

The Actual Design was different than this draft.

Reverse of a circulated 1924 Standing Liberty Quarter

Standing Liberty Quarter – Commemorative SILVER minting of 2016

Jay Cline’s book, Standing Liberty Quarters, 4th Ed., reproduces 35 letters of correspondence involved in the design and minting of that coin.

Letters between President Wm. Taft, H. A. MacNeil, officials of the US Mint, and the U.S. Treasury, discussing designs and changes from 1915-1917.

Guess Where Hermon MacNeil Keep his Award Medals?

By Dan Leininger, Webmaster · Comments (0)

The previous post of June 30 told of the

RE-APPEARANCE of Hermon MacNeil’s 0wn

“Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter” in 2022

While that re-appearance may have surprised the numismatic community,…

to this researcher of MacNeil’s life the disappearance of that original specimen was no surprise .

In 1907 Jean Stansbury Holden wrote an article on “The Sculptors MacNeil.” I discovered her article a dozen years ago when I started www.hermonatkinsmacneil.com/ .

Postcard of MacNeil studio in College Point. From the webmaster’s collection.

Jean Holden traveled to the College Point home and studio of the MacNeils. She interviewed Hermon and Carol MacNeil as sources for her piece.

Among the many observations, she exposed Hermon’s habit of “squirreling away” his award medals in a studio drawer.

When keeps his medals from: Chicago Exposition – 1893; Paris Exposition – 1900; Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, NY – 1901; Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St Louis – 1904; and numerous others …

IN DRAWERS in his studio, and rubs then off some of the tarnish before showing them TRULY without Pretension or POMP.

SO … what is the likelihood that his “Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter” spent 30+ years — probably in that same drawer with those many other award medals?

She captured his unassuming nature as …

a boyish, slender, medium height, with large eyes that meet you with a twinkle …a serious sculptor when working …without pretense of his accomplishments …

“It is said that one morning when the Alban Hills showed white a-top, he stripped off his student blouse, hurried to the summit of the highest hill, filled his lungs with cold air, rolled a snowball, then returned with renewed enthusiasm to dusty Rome and the study of the past.” P-9409

Unpretentious…

Unassuming …

without pomp or guile …

What you see is what you get …

The genuine article …

A real human being …

All are qualities beyond any

Medal of Award!

SOURCES:

Holden, Jean Stansbury (October 1907). “The Sculptors MacNeil“. The World’s Work: A History of Our Time XIV: 9403–9419.

Categories : Location

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Jun

RE-APPEARANCE of Hermon MacNeil’s 0wn “Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter” ~ Part 2

By Dan Leininger, Webmaster · Comments (0)

The first Standing Liberty Quarter

struck in 1916 was given to

Hermon A. MacNeil, the designer.

That original “Specimen” minting of the SLQ has

re-emerged in 2022 at an

American Numismatic Association show.

Two MacNeil ‘Ladies’ from 1916 are posed side-by-side.

ON LEFT: 1916 STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER – Original SPECIMEN.

ON RIGHT: “PAT” ( Intellectual Development ~ [ 1916 Patten Gymnasium, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL ]

Photo Credit: DFW Coin & Jewelry Center … [ Retrieved from CoinWeek.com on 6-14-2022 at (https://coinweek.com/us-coins/macneils-personal-1916-standing-liberty-quarter-at-ana-money-show/ ]

The CoinWeek website reported on March 1, 2022 that:

MacNeil’s Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter appeared at a ANA Money Show

By DFW Coin & Jewelry Center ……

The Standing Liberty quarter was designed by Hermon MacNeil and was minted from 1916 to 1930.

An exciting development at the FUN Convention (Florida United Numismatists) in Orlando earlier this year was the reappearance of MacNeil’s own Standing Liberty quarter, which is reportedly the first one struck. Later, PCGS graded this 1916 quarter as AU-58 and featured the term “MacNeil Specimen” on the label inside the PCGS holder. It will be displayed by the DFW Coin & Jewelry Center at the upcoming ANA National Money Show at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, March 10 to 12.

Kris Oyster of DFW Coin & Jewelry Center purchased this quarter in a Capital Plastics holder at the FUN Convention in January and had it in a PCGS holder at the Long Beach Expo in February. This quarter is accompanied by two documents with notarized signatures, which relate to its provenance since it was received by MacNeil.

Hermon MacNeil was born in 1866 in Massachusetts and died in 1947 in New York. In 1966, a New York City park in College Point, Queens, was named in his honor.

MacNeil’s large works can still be viewed at various public places around the United States. His Pony Express statue in St. Joseph, Missouri, is extremely popular. His trio of statues, Guardians of Liberty, is located at the east pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, DC. MacNeil’s statue of Ezra Cornell at Cornell University is important to that institution.

The MacNeil sculpture, Intellectual Development, in front of the Patten gymnasium at Northwestern University is very much reminiscent of the female figure of liberty on the Standing Liberty quarter. (Thus, the two MacNeil ‘Ladies’ are posed side by side in the photo above.)

MacNeil presented his own 1916 Standing Liberty quarter to his step-daughter, Dorothy Muenich. She was married to W.H. Schuling.

On August 10, 1962, Schuling’s signature was notarized on a statement that this quarter was the “first of its type off the press.” In addition to a notary, two other people witnessed Schuling sign this document, which was intended to accompany the coin from 1962 on (and still does).

Another notarized document reveals that a collector purchased this Standing Liberty quarter at the 1964 ANA Convention in Cleveland, in front of a dealer from Houston who is named in the document. In addition to the notary, another witness signed this second document, which is recently dated, “December 20, 2021”. There is thus a lineage from Hermon MacNeil to the present.

Kris Oyster, the proprietor of DFW Coin & Jewelry Center, said he “may consider putting the coin up for auction at a later date but wants to enjoy it for the time being as well as displaying it for others to see at coin shows.”

The two notarized documents explained above accompany the coin and will be part of the display.

Oyster may be reached by email, KOyster@live.com, or through the DFW Coin & Jewelry Center website, www.dfwcjc.com.

Retrieved from CoinWeek.com on 6-14-2022 at (https://coinweek.com/us-coins/macneils-personal-1916-standing-liberty-quarter-at-ana-money-show/ )

Retrieved from CoinWeek.com on 6-14-2022 at (https://coinweek.com/us-coins/macneils-personal-1916-standing-liberty-quarter-at-ana-money-show/ )

2016 MacNeil Medallion marks the 150th Anniversary the birth of Hermon A. MacNeil.

2016 MacNeil Medallion marking the 100th Anniversary the minting of the Standing Liberty Quarter.

This website has documented the Standing Liberty Quarter dozens of times.

The MacNeil Medallion (at right) cast in 2016, commemorates:

1) the Centennial of this beautiful coin;

2) the Sesquicentennial of Hermon’s birth in 1866;

3) this Website dedicated to the life and works of Hermon Atkins MacNeil.

Commissioned by our webmaster, these numbered medals are available on eBay.

Edward A. Van Orden, “Collecting a Masterpiece; an Introduction to the Standing Liberty quarter” (3) ~~ SLQ ~~ Part One ~~ In September 2019 the…
MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter” and “I’ve Got a Secret” April 4, 1966 (2) 100 years after the birth of Hermon MacNeil and fifty…
2016 ~ A Double Anniversary Year for Hermon Atkins MacNeil (2) 1886-2016 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Hermon A. MacNeil…
Happy 153rd Birthday~ Hermon Atkins MacNeil ~ February 27, 2019 (2) TODAY marks the 153rd anniversary of the birth of Hermon…
Standing Liberty Quarter ~ MacNeil’s First Design (2) Hermon MacNeil’s first concept for the new Liberty Standing Quarter…
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Categories : Location

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Jun

Alert! MacNeil’s Original SLQ Specimen has Emerged. ~~ Part 1

By Dan Leininger, Webmaster · Comments (0)

After 105 years the original SPECIMEN of the

Standing Liberty Quarter

has been put on display.

Nicholas D’Amico, “Exile on 72st”,

a Friend of HAM [https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/],

has alerted us to this new development;

as reported by CoinWeek.com

Dear Webmaster,
Hello, a couple of years back I purchased this medal (the MacNeil Medallion) from you. Then we spoke of how terrible it was that statues all over our country are being removed. I’m contacting you now to bring your attention to an article I found today on my email from .www.dfwcjc.com, about Hermon MacNeil’s standing liberty quarter for sale!
… If you Google standing liberty quarter Hermon MacNeil Specimen, you should see it. It’s offered for 250K.

Dear exile on 72st,
I didn’t know about the “specimen” SLQ story. Thanks indeed!
I will make a future posting on HAM about that.
You must be a coin enthusiast if you follow CoinWeek.
QUOTING THAT ARTICLE: “MacNeil presented his own 1916 Standing Liberty quarter to his step-daughter, Dorothy Muenich. She was married to W.H. Schuling.” That statement checks out. Dorothy was HERMON’S stepdaughter, a daughter of his second wife, Cecelia Muenich, who I have quoted in several postings in 2022. Webmaster

… If I purchased that specimen, I would donate it to The American Numismatic Society to be forever viewed by numismatists and historians. I have been collecting coins and medals since 1965 when coins went from silver to clad.
I never get tired of studying the coins and medals of MacNeil and Weinman.
Their sculpture and casting work too.
-exileon72st

exileon72st
That is a very noble idea. The gesture of a true coin lover / collector. It is also a story that my web followers would be interested in. Can I quote your idea? I can do that anonymously, unless you want your name associated with it.
Very fine gesture.
Coin collectors tend to be history buffs.
Dan

Dear Dan
Absolutely, thank you, you can use my name, Nicholas D’Amico and maybe it could inspire the buyer to donate it to the ANS. That coin should not be hidden or forgotten for as long as there is a United States.
-exileon72st

MORE DETAILS Tomorrow …

STAY TUNED

Categories : Location

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May

Why the Chicago Monument Project? ~~ FAQ

By Dan Leininger, Webmaster · Comments (0)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Chicago doing this?

Chicago joins cities across the country reckoning with the omissions and over-simplifications present in their public art collections. The Chicago Monuments Project intends to grapple with the often unacknowledged – or forgotten – history associated with the City’s various municipal art collections and provides a vehicle for a public dialogue that will elevate new ways to memorialize Chicago’s history more equitably and accurately.

Are all of these monuments going to be removed?

No, this is not a condemnation of these monuments, but rather this is an opportunity to learn from them. We invite Chicagoans to provide valuable feedback, reflecting on the city’s history and how it should be encapsulated in our public art moving forward.

STAY TUNED HERE: We will post results as soon as they are announced this Summer!

CLICK HERE for MORE: