Archive for Location
FANS and FANatics of Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Posted by: | CommentsMacNeil Month ~~ Feb. 2025
As I have previously confessed on this website, I am both
a FAN and a FANatic
of the sculpture and life
of my Great Uncle
~ ~ Hermon Atkins MacNeil ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~
After 15 years as webmaster, and over 300 POSTINGS
I truly deserve to be called a
<< FANatic of Uncle Hermon
and his cousin, my grandfather
Tom Henry McNeil >>
~
HELPFUL HINTS FOR USING THIS SITE:
Use the search function to find topics mentioned in the
300+ posts on 13 Pages (25 posts per page)
click on (Next Page >>) at bottom of each page
to move on to next 25 postings.
HELPFUL LINKS in the RIGHT SIDE COLUMNS:
-
- POSTS SINCE 2010
- MOST RECENT:
- MacNEIL POSTINGS
- SCULPTURES OF H.A.M.
- WORLDS FAIRS OF MacNEIL
- MUSEUMS: WITH MacNEIL ART
- CATEGORIES – TOPICS ANS LOCATIONS
- SCULPTURE NEWS
- POSTS SINCE 2010
BELOW IS A POST ABOUT A RECENT SLQ Collector AND MacNEIL MEDALLION OWNER: ⇓
He has a “Love Affair” with MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter.”
Related Images:
MacNeil Month ~ February 2025 ~ Our 15th Year ~ FANs & FANatics
Posted by: | Comments2025
Since 2010 we have celebrated each February as
“MacNeil Month” 
Welcome to our 15th Year !
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
February 27th is the 159th
birthday anniversary of my great uncle
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
February 29th marks the
165th birthday anniversary of my grandfather
Thomas Henry McNeil
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tom died in 1932 before I was born
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hermon MacNeil died in 1947
27 months after I was born.
My mother, Ollie (nee) McNeil gave me
“Neil” as my middle name.
SO …
I have become a “MacNeil Fanatic”
as this website has displayed
for 15 years!
Stay tuned this month
for more stories of MacNeil FANS
and FAN-atics !
Related Images:
“Pony Express” Keeps Riding Again ~ from St. Joseph station.
Posted by: | Comments.
St. Joseph, Missouri continues to embrace Hermon MacNeil’s “Pony Express as its symbol.
Once Again, St. Joseph, Missouri embraces “The Pony Express” by Hermon A. MacNeil. This time is makes the “cover page” of the city’s current Visitor Guide.
As I was traveling through Missouri recently, I saw this Visitor Guide for “St. Jo Mo.” The little webmaster in my mind said,
“Ah Ha! That needs to be on
SO, I picked up 2 Guide books.”
And now my dear readers, another image of MacNeil’s
Pony Express joins the 300+ postings on this website.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Monument in St. Jo marks the first station and
the first statue along the trail
Find the Monuments at:
1940 – St. Joseph, Missouri
Tenth & Fredericks Street
Sculptor: Hermon A. MacNeil ⇒ ⇒
1963 — Stateline, Nevada
Harrah’s Casino.
Sculptor: Dr. Arvard Fairbanks.
1976 – Sacramento, California
2nd & J Streets
Sculptor: Thomas Holland
1985 – Marysville, Kansas
Pony Express Plaza
Sculptor: Richard Bergen
1994 – Reno, Nevada
Grand Sierra Resort
Sculptor: Douglas Van Howard
This is the Place Heritage Park
Sculptor: Dr Avard Fairbanks
BLM Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Sculptor: Dr. Avard Fairbanks
Colorado Welcome Center
Sculptor: Brenda Daniher
2009 – Reno, Nevada
Legends Plaza
Sculptor: Mark Aeling
2011 – Sidney, Nebraska
Cabela/Bass Pro Shops
Sculptor: Peter Fillerup
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
PONY EXPRESS who
HELPED SPREAD IMPORTANT NEWS,
SHRINK A CONTINENT,
AND BIND A NATION
THAT WAS BEING TORN APART
BY CIVIL WAR.
2025 Re-Ride Dates : June 11 to 21, East-Bound
Sacramento, CA – to – St. Joseph, MO
.
~~~
Related Images:
Hermon MacNeil’s statue no longer exists, but “Electricity” was a Symbolic Soldier in the “War of the Titans” of Electrical Technology: AC versus DC.
George Westinghouse won the bid to supply AC electrical power for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 by contracting at 1/3 the proposed cost of General Electric for DC current.
Twenty- seven (27) Million Americans visited the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 — The World’s Columbian Exposition where MacNeil’s statue holding a bolt of electricity was a part of the Electricity Building.
The greater War of the Currents Electricity had battles in New York City. Westinghouse also and won the major part of the contract to build Niagara Falls hydroelectric project [CLICK HERE] later that year (partially splitting the contract with General Electric). Read More→
Related Images:
He has a “Love Affair” with MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter.”
Posted by: | CommentsSince 2016 I have been selling my “MacNeil Medallions” on eBay.
With each purchase I send a ‘Thank You’ note
asking 3 questions:
- Are you a coin collector?
- A MacNeil relative?
- Or just a person who knows what you like?.
WELL, recently I discovered my first “self-confessed”
“Standing Liberty Quarter Lover.”
Scott Wheeler wrote an enthusiastic response as follows:
Scott Wheeler, Standing Liberty Quarter Collector (Source: Scott’s website)
Hello Daniel, Thank you for your kind note. When I saw your uncle’s medallion coin, I knew I needed to get one. I have collected coins since I was 8 years old.
But it wasn’t until about a year ago that I came to have a
love affair with Standing Liberty quarters. I have become obsessed with their beauty and history.
Scott added:
I am in the process of collecting a full set of MS66 or greater graded Full Head Standing liberty quarters. I have a long way to go in completing that collection as some of the coins are very rare and expensive. But I am enjoying the search and hope to complete the set one day.
Scott goes on to say that he continues collecting many individual standing liberty coins as he comes across them.
- Truly a beautiful work of art.
- Many thanks to your uncle Hermon.
- I have checked out the website.
- Such great information made available there.
- Thank you Daniel for your efforts to put the website together.
- It is truly informative.
- Warm Regards, Scott Wheeler, Standing Liberty Quarter Collector.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I responded:
Dear Scott,
Thank You for your order of the MacNeil Medallion. I accepted your offer because I not profiting from this venture anyway. I minted these pieces to promote my website to Uncle Hermon MacNeil. I think you are my first buyer from Idaho — quite a distinction. Anyway, enjoy the piece as much as I enjoy sending them. Are you a coin collector? A MacNeil relative? Or just a person who knows what you like?
Blessings,
Daniel Neil Leininger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott is definitely SLQ FAN-atic
Related
Related Images:
A drawing of the Electricity Building as proposed in 1982
Jim Haas records how
Hermon MacNeil’s statue, “Electricity”
became a theme to the Celebration.
This David-like male figure, classically modeled was fourteen-foot tall and clad in a cape. With the left arm is raised and the right held close by his side, a bolt of electricity flashes between two hand held poles.” Haas p.45
Only one fragmented photo of
Hermon MacNeil’s “Electricity”
has survived from 131 years ago.
Discovered by James Haas
and published in his book,
Hermon Atkins MacNeil: American Sculptor
… here is that retouched image.
The photo accredited to the American Academy of Arts and Letters was probably taken by MacNeil himself.
As posted previously in November 2021:
MacNeil, worked under Philip Martiny, who was sculpting the Electricity Building.
After proving himself on the edifice spandrels and ornamentals, he was assigned “two statuary figures” on the upper structure. The Electricity Building’s main entrance was dominated by an imposing statue of Benjamin Franklin. The exhibit was truly a celebration of the “modern” era of “Electricity.”
Jim Haas records how Hermon MacNeil contributed to the Celebration with an allegorical male statue representing “Electricity.”
Haas describes the result as … “Hermon’s classically modeled, David-like male figure; fourteen-foot, cape-clad Renaissance celebration of the human body. The figures left arm is raised with the right held close by his side as a bolt of electricity flashes between two hand held poles.” Haas p.45
Frank D. Millet, decorations director for the World’s Columbian Exposition, had approached
MacNeil with a project.
The Electricity Building needed a giant statue.
Both MacNeil’s statue and the
ELECTRICITY Building itself
were destroyed after the Fair closed.
The Electricity Building housed the Tower of Light, displays by Western Electric, General Electric, American Bell Telephone, Edison’s latest phonographs.
Related posts:
- George Rogers Clark (17.2) This glistening bronze of Colonel George Rogers Clark after a…
- MacNeil Month #2: Cornell University Connections ~ Celebrating the 145th anniversary of his birth – (13.5) Upon graduation from Massachusetts Normal Art School, MacNeil’s work was recognized with…
- “Lift Every Voice and Sing” ~ Part #2 ~ MacNeil’s support for Augusta Savage: Blessed the Harlem Renaissance ~ 1939 (13.2) Augusta Savage As mentioned in the previous post [on May…
- Etching of Carol Louise Brooke MacNeil (12.4) by William Harry Warren Bicknell William Harry Warren Bicknell was…
- Hermon MacNeil and Hamlin Garland ~ ~ Connections Through the Years – Part 3 (10.6) Hermon MacNeil met Hamlin Garland in Chicago. Hermon MacNeil Hermon…
- #6 ~~ A “Brooks-by-MacNeil” Portrait closes Brooks~MacNeil Month ~~ Feb. 27, 2023 (10.6) “HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE HERMON” HE WAS BORN 157 YEARS AGO…
Related Images:
My McNeil Heritage: September 9th, 1909
Posted by: | CommentsToday is the 115th
Birthday Anniversary of my mother
Ollie Francis McNeil.
- She is the source of my McNeil / MacNeil roots.
- She gave me the middle name “Neil”.
- She told me stories of my “Uncle Hermon”.
- She took me to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the Sun Vow .
- Ollie McNeil, my mom, died in 1985.
- In 2010 I created this website
- Today, there are 306 posts on
- HermonAtkinsMacNeil.Com/.
Thanks Mom, for instilling my
Scottish roots within me and planting the seeds of
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Related posts:
- Hermon A. MacNeil ~ Born February 27, 1866 ~ Needs 158 Candles this year ~~ MacNeil Month 2024 (5.9) “HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE HERMON” HE WAS BORN 158 YEARS AGO…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bust of “Lawyer Lincoln” Returns for its second century on the Illinois Circuit (5.9) Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of self-educated Illinois Lawyer Abe Lincoln…
- “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” Hermon & Tom Henry MacNeil ~~ MacNeil Month – Two Birthday’s (5.6) Why do we celebrate MacNeil Month each February? Two reasons:…
- Happy 153rd Birthday~ Hermon Atkins MacNeil ~ February 27, 2019 (3) TODAY marks the 153rd anniversary of the birth of Hermon…
- Connecticut History statues by H. A. MacNeil ~~ “General Alfred Howe Terry” and “Major General John Sedgwick” (2) We have recently learned that a large group of…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (2) At age 78 Hermon MacNeil wrote an autobiographical sketch…
Related Images:
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Augusta Savage
[Click for more:]
at her Harlem Studio at
“Transposed Music into Sculpture”
A postcard of Augusta Savages piece, The Harp, for the 1939 New York World’s Fair
Augusta Savage, Harlem Renaissance sculptor
and student of Hermon MacNeil in 1923-24
made unique sculptures of
African American Leaders & themes.
“The Harp”
was never cast in bronze. The piece, made of plaster called staff, was destroyed after the 1933 New York Worlds Fair.
BUT, “The Harp”
was preserved in the following Video:
Click Below for a 7 min. NPR segment on
Lift-Every-Voice-and-Sing
Often referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” Lift Every Voice and Sing was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), composed the music for the lyrics.
Augusta Savage (left) made her portrait bust of James Weldon Johnson, author of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as well as those of W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey and other activist/leaders of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s
https://www.artslicepod.com/episodes/episode-09-sculpting-the-future-augusta-savage-the-harp-lift-every-voice-and-sing
Elizabeth Galbreath wrote this column:
bbb
https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/article/augusta-savage-gamin
Related Images:
1940 ~ The Pony Express Goes to the White House
Posted by: | CommentsWhile the real PONY EXPRESS ran Westward …
from St. Joseph, Missouri
to Sacramento, California,
Hermon MacNeil’s
Statue of the
“Pony Express”
ran East all the way to
the White House
AND INTO THE
Postcard Collection of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have posted MANY stories of “The Pony Express” by Hermon MacNeil.
But this is a fresh NEW wrinkle!
(Courtesy of Jim Haas)
⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓
NEW YORK TIMES, JUNE 9, 1940
Related Images:
Our 248 th INDEPENDENCE DAY ~ ~ Turbulent Times
Posted by: | Comments
While July 4th marks
the 248th Independence Day of the
United States,
we have seen turbulent times
BEFORE in our history…
~~~~
* Today is Wednesday, July 3. On this day in:
H.A. MacNeil’s General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
1775: George Washington assumed command of Continental Army in Cambridge, Mass.
1778: American Revolutionary War ~ 360 settlers were killed by British loyalists and Iroquois warriors in Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. The attack was part of the British campaign to disrupt frontier settlements.
1856: The U.S. House of Representatives voted on the Topeka Constitution, which was a resolution to admit Kansas to statehood as an antislavery territory. The vote faced immense opposition from the existing pro-slavery territorial government and the U.S. Senate.
** Source below NY Daily News
1863: The Battle of Gettysburg ended as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee tried to break the Union line with several attacks, including the disastrous last-ditch effort known as ‘Pickett’s Charge.’ Over 7,000 Confederate soldiers were captured or killed within an hour of that charge. Lee retreated a day later. The Battle of Gettysburg was considered the turning point in the American Civil War.
1884: Dow Jones & Co., the world’s first stock index, launched as published its first stock average. The index was composed of nine railroads and two industrial companies.
1890: Idaho was admitted to the Union as the 43rd state. President Abraham Lincoln originally established Idaho territory in 1863 after thousands of prospective miners settled in the area during the Gold Rush.
SO …
May GOD continue to bless the
United States of America
even in our TURBULENT Times
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
* Source: Hoang Tran, USA TODAY Network
** PHOTO of MacNeil’s Confederate Defenders: NY Daily News — http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/statue-honoring-confederacy-defaced-charleston-park-article-1.2266043
Related Images:
~ Sculptor: Carol Brooks MacNeil died 80 years ago, June 22, 1944 ~
Posted by: | Comments~ Carol MacNeil died Eighty years ago today ~
Carol Brooks MacNeil died on June 22, 1944
in Jamacia (Queens) Hospital.
- Newspapers in New York and the Chicago Daily Times “all acknowledged her standing in the rarified realm of female sculptors.”
- Congregational services were held in the MacNeil home.
- Carol’s cremains were transported to the family plot in Massachusetts
- There in Woodlawn Cemetery she was interred beside their beloved daughter, Joie Katherine MacNeil.
Death of Carol “Carrie” Brooks MacNeil.
During her months of declining health, Carol was nursed at home by her family and Cecelia, a home nurse. As Carol’s condition worsened, the needs exceeded the home-care options of the day. She was admitted to the Jamaica (Queens) Hospital. Carol Brooks MacNeil died there on June 22, 1944. Newspapers in New York and the Chicago Daily Times “all acknowledged her standing in the rarefied realm of female sculptors.” Congregational services were held in the MacNeil home. Carol’s body was cremated and her remains transported to the family plot in Massachusetts at Woodlawn Cemetery to be interred with those of Joie.
“The 50 year Partnership
of
‘the Sculptors MacNeil’
had come to a close”
Hermon MacNeil Alone. Now Hermon must have felt an emptiness without Carol in his life, home, and studio. With Carol MacNeil’s death, their fifty-year partnership as the “Sculptors MacNeil” had ended. Their connection had begun five decades earlier in the “White City” of the Chicago World’s Fair, continued through their years of training in the city of Rome and in the city of Paris, matured in the kind-of-a-city of Queens, NY, and the not-quite-so-city of College Point.
For the next two years Hermon MacNeil continued to live alone in his College Point home. Next door was the stone Studio building where he and Carol had sculpted together through the years of their marriage. Now he was alone in their no-longer-shared home and studio.
Postcard of MacNeil studio in College Point. From the webmaster’s collection.
Cecelia Muench, RN, continued to care for him there. She had been his visiting nurse since 1941, when she helped him through a heart ailment. She also painted with Carrie and Hermon entering into the family of the sculptor her father had introduced her to at The Sun Vow on her 12 birthday.
A widow herself now, Cecelia accompanied Hermon to various gatherings of family, friends, and colleagues.
MEMORIES OF CAROL ~ Carrie
Carol Brooks MacNeil
Carol Brooks MacNeil
Related Images:
Early Hermon
THERE IS A “BLACK PIPE” Number #3
Probably later, he also made a full frontal relief.
MacNeil’s bronze of Blackpipe, a Sioux warrior he befriended in 1893/4 (source Smithsonian Archives)
Later, Black Pipe became the model for Primitive Indian Music.
Black Pipe #1 and Black Pipe #2 and the two earliest rondels of this Sioux Brave. SEE: PREVIOUS POST at:
MacNeil’s bronze of Blackpipe, a Sioux warrior he befriended in 1893/4.
Source:
Lot 3116: HERMON ATKINS MACNEIL (1866-1947) BAS RELIEF PORTRAIT Est: $3,800 USD – $4,200 USDPassed
Description
“The Sioux Brave Blackpipe Beneath the Bust”, bronze bas relief sculpture, with incised signature “Mac Neil” lower right, 22 1/2″ high, 12 3/4″ x 8 1/2″. Undisturbed surface, good condition.A well-known sculptor of Native Americans, MacNeil’s works include the designing of the medal of award for the 1915 Pan American Expo in San Francisco and the quarter dollar for the then US Governor. Some of his wares have sold for over $350,000.
Artist or Maker
Related Images:
“Pony Express” ~~ Hermon MacNeil’s Last Monument
Posted by: | CommentsThe “Pony Express” statue in St. Joseph, Missouri was dedicated in 1940.
Hermon MacNeil turned 74 that February 27th. He posed for newspaper photos sitting on the statue base.
The statue appears to be un-mounted on its massive pedestal base.
- Was this photo taken at the foundry before shipping?
- Or maybe at St. Joe before being erected on the pedestal base?
- WE don’t know!
- BUT the sculptor seems proud and relaxed aside his historic tribute!
The authentic saddle & mail bags were consistent with Dr. S. M. Strong’s replicas which were Hermon patterns. And of course , “Poncho Villa”, the Doctor’s rescued rodeo mustang. after.
Twenty years later (1960), was the Centennial of the first Pony Express ride. That year the US Post Office issued a Commemorative 4 Cent stamp, as pictured below: ⇓
- Because the PONY EXPRESS became an established ICON and growing legend.
- St. Jo, MO took the iconic “horse and rider” as a SYMBOL for the city itself.
- They have continued that identity to the present day, though 164 years have passed.
RIDE ON, O’ symbol of American history. Your sculptor has brought you to life at your starting gate of iconic legend.
FOR MORE: Go to STJOMO.com
Related posts:
- Pony Express Rides Again! (26.1) In the heart of downtown Saint Joseph, Missouri the “Pony…
- Pony Express Hood Ornament (19) On a rainy day recently I visited MacNeil’s Pony Express…
- Attention to Detail ~ “The Pony Express” ~ by H. A. MacNeil (17.9) On first viewing, the sculptures of Hermon MacNeil express amazing…
Related Images:
Hermon MacNeil’s “Pony Express” has become an “Icon”
Posted by: | Comments2024
By William Henry Jackson – SOURCE: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4051p.tr000013/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10111804
The “Pony Express“ ran for only 18 months, but has become an
“AMERICAN ICON.”
Hermon MacNeil’s “Pony Express”
is ALSO an ICON
marking Saint Joseph, Missouri, as “Station One.”
on the 1900 mile route of 190 Stations
stretching to Sacramento, California.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<=<= <= AAA World
<=<=travel magazine.
This summer features a Missouri State Travel Ad with Hermon’s Statue of “Pancho Villa” the outlaw Dakota Mustang of Bill Cody’s Wild West Rodeo!
AND ⇑LAMBERT’s (home of ‘Throwed Rolls’) in Branson, Missouri a special place to eat
… and catch ‘throwed’ Rolls (click here)
MORE Pony Express NEXT TIME …
PLUS + PREVIOUS Pony Express BELOW ⇓
Hermon MacNeil’s “Pony Express” or “Pancho Villa” Rides Again!
m
Related posts:
- Pony Express Rides Again! (26.1) In the heart of downtown Saint Joseph, Missouri the “Pony…
- Pony Express Hood Ornament (19) On a rainy day recently I visited MacNeil’s Pony Express…
- Attention to Detail ~ “The Pony Express” ~ by H. A. MacNeil (17.9) On first viewing, the sculptures of Hermon MacNeil express amazing…
Related Images:
“JUSTICE” ~~ Hermon MacNeil’s Contribution
Posted by: | Comments“JUSTICE“
is the theme of the
United States Supreme Court
~~~~~ 0 ~~~~~
“Justice the Guardian of Liberty”
are the words under Hermon MacNeil’s
EAST PEDIMENT
To see Hermon MacNeil’s sculpture walk to
the back of the SUPREME COURT Building
SECOND ST NE
May 16, 1932 Note regarding the East Pediment Inscription The text, in the hand of Charles Evans Hughes, reads, I rather prefer “Justice the Guardian of Liberty””
~~~~~ 0 ~~~~~
“Equal Justice Under the Law”
are the words under Robert Aitken’s
WEST PEDIMENT
~~~~~ 0 ~~~~~
Both PEDIMENTS celebrate JUSTICE
“Equal Justice Under the Law”
“Justice the Guardian of Liberty”
These are just two ways that Beaux Arts
Sculptors sought to preserve JUSTICE
for the PEOPLE in our “CITY BEAUTIFUL”
Washington, D. C.
Let’s Hope Our Nine Justices do their Part for Justice in years to come!
Related Posts:
Related Images:
MAC NEIL Projects during March
Posted by: | Comments2024
MacNeil Projects
in MARCH 2024
The month of March has flown by with NO NEW Postings on this sight!
That violates my commitment as Webmaster of
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/ SO . . .
HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE THIS MONTH …
- ~ I have been busy with another MacNeil project. Namely, writing PART TWO of the summary of Jim Haas’ book: Hermon Atkins MacNeil: American Sculptor in the Broad, Bright Daylight.
- ~ Vicki Sanders Corporan, editor of the GALLEY, the official publication of the Clan MacNeil Association of America. published PART ONE in the FALL/WINTER 2023, Issue #67, pp. 20-29. Those pages are posted HERE:
- ~ I have been conversing with Jim Haas as he continues his MacNeil Research. He seems to have an inexhaustible motivation to write and research. What a marvel he is.
~ PART TWO of the summary will appear in the
GALLEY,
SPRING /SUMMER ISSUE #68
Page photos and text will be poster here
in coming weeks.
so “PAT” at Patten Gym
Says “stay tuned to
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/
“PAT” at Patten Gym of Northwestern University, Evansville, IL
Related Images:
Happy 41st ‘Leap Day’ Birthday to Thomas Henry McNeil — Feb 29, 2024
Posted by: | Comments
Today marks the 164th Anniversary of the birth of my Grandfather Thomas A. McNeil born February 29, 1860.
As a Leapster, he was born 41 Actual Birthdays ago.
Leapsters
are born on
Leap Day,
February 29th
Tom McNeil was an older cousin of Hermon Atkins MacNeil
1884 Michigan Wolverines Football Team — Quarterback Tom Henry MacNeil is seated front center holding a ball.
Thomas H. McNeil (February 29, 1860 – October 1, 1932) was an American football player and lawyer. He was the first University of Michigan football player to be the starting quarterback in consecutive years. He led the Michigan football team to undefeated seasons in 1884 and 1885.
1885 Michigan Wolverines Football Team — Quarterback Tom Henry MacNeil is seated second from the left holding a ball. A rugby style ball was used, but no forward passes were allowed
He later became a lawyer practicing in Missouri.
McNeil was born near Burdette, Bates County, Missouri, in 1860. McNeil attended the University of Michigan where he graduated from the Literary Department in 1885 and the Law Department in 1886. While attending Michigan, he was the starting quarterback for the 1884 and 1885 Michigan Wolverines football teams. He was the first player to be Michigan’s starting quarterback in consecutive years. During his two years at quarterback, Michigan was undefeated. The 1884 team compiled a 2–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 36 to 10. The center on the 1884, snapping the ball to McNeil, was Henry Killilea, one the five men who founded baseball’s American League. McNeil led the 1885 team to a 3–0 record, with the team outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 82 to 0. During the time when McNeil was Michigan’s starting quarterback, the forward pass was not permitted and the ball (pictured at McNeil’s side in photograph to the right) was round, bearing a stronger resemblance to a rugby ball than a modern American football. After graduating from Michigan, McNeil began practicing law at Kansas City, Missouri. In January 1901, McNeil became a lawyer in the Claims Department of the Kansas City Railways Company, a position he held for more than 21 years. In later years, he was responsible for making accident reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Public Service Commission of Missouri. At the time of his 21st anniversary with the company, the Railwayan noted:
“The life of Tom McNeil has been a success because he has possessed the three necessary qualifications — honest, industry and a vision for the future. His word is as sacred as his signed contract. He is always the first to arrive at his office in the morning and never fails to accomplish a full day’s work. … It is too bad that such men as Tom H. McNeil of such sterling worth and integrity cannot live forever.”
In addition to his legal career, McNeil was a member and leader in the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization and secret society founded in 1864. He served as the 30th Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias from 1899 to 1900. He died in 1932. [SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62575584/thomas-henry-mcneil ]
This closes our MacNeil Month Celebration for 2024
Thank you for visiting !
Related Images:
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY
UNCLE HERMON”
HE WAS BORN 158 YEARS AGO TODAY on
FEBRUARY 27TH, 1866
158 CANDLES
His Life, Story, Artistry, Heritage, Legacy,
and Commemoration of American History
are ALL told here on:
HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com
Jo Davidson’s unique tribute bust of his teacher Hermon Atkins MacNeil. [bronze, 1945]
Thank You for your visit! DNL
Related Images:
Lady Liberty at the Flushing WWI Monument
Hermon’s Valentines:
The feminine faces in Hermon MacNeil’s sculptures seem to share a similarity.
Their features could be said to create an appearance that could be called:
Hermon’s Ideal
What do you think?
Here is a gallery of some images that have appeared on this website since 2010.
MORE FACES from MacNeil’s mind . . .
“Intellectual Development” at Northwestern University, Patten Gymnasium in Evanston, Illinois, 1916. Nicknamed by students as “Pat.” Her companion was dubbed “Gym” as in Patten Gym.
==
“Pat” or “Intellectual Development” holds a scepter bearing the initial “N,” as in Northwestern, with the owl poised for flight in front of Patten Gym.
“Pat” (above) or “Intellectual Development” holds a scepter bearing the initial “N” as in Northwestern, with the owl poised for flight in front of Patten Gym.
Her companion figure: Jim (Gym) “Physical Development” to her right.
“Physical Development” or “Jim,” in front of Patten Gym at Northwestern University.
==
“Peace & Prosperity” at McKinley Memorial
==
Lady Liberty: World War Memorial at Flushing, NY
=
The 2 models for the Standing Liberty Quarter as Cecelia MacNeil published the story after Hermon’s death.
Two women modeled for the Liberty Standing Quarter: Doris Dascher Baum & Irene MacDowell, a neighbor and wife of Hermon’s tennis partner.
MacNeil’s entry to the ‘Pioneer Woman’ memorial at Ponca City, OK.
“Soldiers and Sailors Memorial” at Albany, New York. The Civil War Monument
==
Charleston SC figure behind ‘Confederate Defenders’ at Harbor Point.
==
MacNeil’s “Confederate Defenders” photo signed to Charles Curren by Hermon in 1931 =
CAROL BROOKS MACNEIL, Hermon Atkins MacNeil (American, 1866-1947) No Date Bronzed plaster 14.5″ x 8″ x 7.5″ Signed: H. A. MACNEIL. Photo by JOEL ROSENKRANZ 1986 (#5430)
Happy Valentines Day 2024
Related Images:
MacNeil Month 2024
Posted by: | CommentsEvery February here at
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/
is MacNeil Month
BECAUSE . . .
Hermon Atkins MacNeil about the time of his Standing Liberty work.
February 27th, 1866
IS Uncle Hermon Atkins MacNeil’s Birthday is — 158 years ago, and
BECAUSE . . .
Thomas (Tom) Henry McNeil (1860 – 1932)
February 29th, 1866 . . .
IS THE Birthday of
My grandfather, Thomas Henry McNeil who was born on a “Leap Day,” — February 29th
Now 2024, will mark the 42nd “Leap Day” since Tom Henry McNeil’s birth — 164 years ago.
Review of Webmaster’s Activity
in 2023 (with hot links)
- Since MacNeil Month 2023, we have added 32 postings to the website here at hermonatkinsmacneil.com
- These have included over 130 photos, many are new
- Travelled to Ponca City, Oklahoma, and
- Visited the mansion of E. W. Marland there.
- Photographed “The Pioneer Woman” entry of Hermon MacNeil.
- photographed the entries of other sculptors.
- Photographed the Marland Studio there.
- Saw Jo Davidson’s marble sculptures of the Marland family.
- Purchased the bronze roundet “Black Pipe the Sioux at Six Teen Years”.
An Example of Hermon MacNeil’s EARLIEST Sculpture …
- Jay Cline Postings: #1 — #4
- AND dozens of other updates to this website.
Examples of Hermon MacNeil’s FIRST and LAST Sculpture …
Related Images:
“THE GALLEY” for Fall/Winter Has Arrived: Hermon MacNeil’s Bio.
Posted by: | Comments2024
“The GALLEY” has arrived.
President Kenny McNeil on GALLEY #67 cover
MacNeil Clan Members world-wide are receiving the newest issue of The GALLEY in their mail.
Pages 20-29 contain a ten page Feature Article on the Hermon MacNeil Biography.
This is the 1st-half of my summary of Jim Haas’ biography of Hermon MacNeil. The 2nd-half will appear in the SPRING/SUMMER 2024 issue (#68).
Photos of his early life have been gathered.
Part Two of my summary will be
featured in the forthcoming Spring/Summer volume.
The GALLEY subscription is included in the $40 annual membership in the Clan MacNeil. (or in the auto-renewal membership)
Kinship in the MacNeil Family is not required for membership OR receiving
The GALLEY CLICK HERE
Related posts:
- Hermon MacNeil Featured in “The Galley” (9) “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil” The current issue…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil to be featured in “The Galley” (8.9) Hermon MacNeil was the first president of the Clan MacNeil…
- “THE GALLEY” will feature a Two Part summary of the Hermon MacNeil Biography.. (8.7) Happy New Year 2024 will welcome a…
- MacNeil’s Albany Monument ~ Winter Update (7.4) The Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Albany, NY Joel…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (6.6) At age 78 Hermon MacNeil wrote an autobiographical sketch…
- February 27, 2021 – We”ll Unveil the Newly Discovered Portrait Bust of Hermon A. MacNeil by Jo Davidson on Hermon’s Birthday (6.6) ~~ MacNeil Month – February 27, 2021 ~~ FIFTH Story…
Related Images:
“THE GALLEY” will feature a Two Part summary of the Hermon MacNeil Biography..
Posted by: | Comments
Happy New Year
2024 will welcome a new issue of
THE GALLEY.
THE GALLEY, (issue #47, for Fall/Winter 2023) arrives in January 2024. It will feature a summary of the first half of the recent biography of Hermon Atkins MacNeil. This book, (researched, written, and published) by James Haas has been previewed several times here since its release in November 2022.
THE GALLEY is the official magazine of the Clan MacNeil Association of America edited by Vicki Sanders Corporon. As a teen she assisted her mother, Nellie McNeill Sanders, who was then Editor. Ever since, they continued the mother/daughter labors leading to Vicki following her mother as Editor.
Under Vicki’s watch THE GALLEY has grown into a bound full-color volume published semi-annually. It is mailed world-wide to all members of the Association as a privilege of membership.
MEMBERSHIP: You may join the Clan MacNeil Association (CLICK HERE) with or without kinship. You will enjoy receiving and reading THE GALLEY.
GALLEY of Spring/ Summer 2014
My upcoming articles are the fourth and fifth that I have written for THE GALLEY. 1, 2, 3. Part 2 will condense the second half of Haas’ book and be featured in the Spring/Summer issue of THE GALLEY.
I enjoy writing for THE GALLEY and working with Vicki Corporon. Many factors contribute to that pleasure:
- Our travel through Scotland and Isle of Barra in 2014 has generated tremendous knowledge, imagery, and appreciation for my Scottish heritage (MacNeil and McKay).
My 14 years as Webmaster of this website has allowed me to produce nearly 300 postings. My reading, research, photography, and travel have become my retirement career.
- My collaboration with James E. Haas through these years AND his continued research and publication of the Hermon MacNeil Biography have produced parallel research heightening public interest and awareness of Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
Roger Bow with his MacNeil Medallion at the MacNeil Flushing Memorial NYC (8-23-2020)
- I’ve spent the last decade traveling and photographing monuments, statues, and geography associated with MacNeil’s life and accumulated a database of resources for my writing.
- Through the website, I have met so many MacNeil descendants and enthusiasts (I call them my “Friends of https://HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com)
- My minting of the MacNeil Medallion commemorative in 2016 has increased knowledge and enthusiasm for Hermon Atkins MacNeil, the Standing Liberty Quarter.
-
2016 MacNeil Medallion marking the 150th Anniversary the birth of Hermon A. MacNeil. Commissioned by our webmaster, these numbered medals are available on eBay.
2016 MacNeil Medallion marking the 15th Anniversary of his birth. Available on eBay.
Articles in THE GALLEY by the Webmaster. ___
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil.” THE GALLEY, SPRING/SUMMER 2014; Vol.VI, No. 48, Pages 1, 15-21.
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “100 Years Ago in New York City, Relatives United to Form the Clan MacNeil Association of America.” THE GALLEY, SPRING/SUMMER 2021; Vol.VI, No. 62, Pages 14-20.
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “Kisimul Castle: Centennial Stories”. THE GALLEY, FALL/WINTER 2021; Vol.VI, No. 63, Pages 12-22.
Related posts:
- Hermon MacNeil Featured in “The Galley” (8.8) “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil” The current issue…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil to be featured in “The Galley” (8.7) Hermon MacNeil was the first president of the Clan MacNeil…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil: BIOGRAPHY Published !!! (8) Author and historian, James E. Haas has completed “Hermon Atkins…
- 2021 ~~ “MacNeil Clan of America” ~~ 100th Year ~~ “GALLEY” Celebrates (Issue Spring/Summer 2021) (7.1) Chartered in 1921 by Robert Lister MacNeil, Barra XLV, with…
- Hermon MacNeil Led “MacNeil Clan of America” 1928 (6.7) For more of Clan MacNeil Association of America and CELTIC…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (5.6) At age 78 Hermon MacNeil wrote an autobiographical sketch…
Related Images:
Christmas and the 128th “MacNeil Anniversary”
Posted by: | CommentsChristmas Eve 2024 marks the 128th Anniversary of the Wedding of the “Sculptors MacNeil.”
On
Christmas Eve 1895, Hermon Atkins MacNeil and Carol Louise Brooks were joined in marriage in Chicago.
WE have told their wedding story here dozens of times.
Click this LINK TO READ those many postings.
- See their Marriage License from Christmas Eve,
- Read their Reception Invitation from Christmas Day,
- See WHERE the reception was Held,
- See how the County Clerk wrote “Carol” as bride:
- But Pastor Williams wrote “Carrie” on the license, (He knew her nickname !)
- Read how the “News” was published in so many papers.
ITS ALL HERE on THE CHRISTMAS POSTS
at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com/
and have yourself
a Merry, Happy, Bless-ed Christmas season
Related Images:
MacNeil Bust was ONLY Shown Publicly ONCE !
Posted by: | Comments~ MacNeil Bust Exhibited in 1984 ~
Months after we unveiled the Hermon MacNeil bust in 2021,
I received word that this unique piece
was exhibited
ONLY ONCE in its
75 year history.
In 1945 Jo Davidson modeled this bust of his teacher and had it cast in bronze. It remains a UNIQUE piece ~~ meaning “one and only,
one of a kind
NO OTHER Castings
Were ever made”
This “sui generis” likeness of
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
was purchased in 2021 from the Estate of Jo Davidson through Joel Rosenkranz of Conner~Rosenkranz, of New York City.
On Fri, Jun 4, 2021, Joel sent the following:
Hi Dan –
I hope you have been well. I recently was looking through a key reference in American sculpture and came across the entry for the Davidson MacNeil which the Davidson Estate loaned to the Newark Museum many years ago for a survey exhibition on bronzes. I thought you would like to have this reference for your files.
Best,
Joel
I replied as follows:
Joel,
We are well and entering into life and travel in more usual ways.
Thank you for this document scan. I appreciate more history of this MacNeil bust. I will print it out and will study it over the weekend.
It seems ironic that this little known portrait bust was used to illustrate a bio page of Jo Davidson. There are 100s of other candidates that could illustrate Jo’s life and work but his first teacher becomes the “show & tell” model for Jo Davidson’s work and style of portraits.
I am enjoying having “Hermon” in our living room on a regular basis. I showed him to friends and posted this “icon” on my website for the world to SEE.
Greatly appreciate your continued support of my MacNeil obsession. Also, expanding my knowledge of the Davidson—MacNeil interface raises my understanding to exponential levels. >>>
“Your love and work with Beaux Arts and your “calling” with Janis to represent the Davidson Estate form a strong testimony to the love, passion, and talent of so many of these sculptors who are easily forgotten in the “modern “ era of abstractions offered as art. (Forgive my bias to realism).”
Related posts:
- The Portrait “BUST” of HERMON A. MacNEIL ~ by Jo Davidson ~ Unveiled for MacNeil Month 2021 ~#5 (10.1) AT LAST, the UNVEILING of the 75-YEAR-OLD PORTRAIT BUST OF…
- New Year Discovery: Another Bust by H. A. MacNeil (7.6) As we begin the New Year of 2021, we have…
- MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault (7.5) Hermon Atkins MacNeil would probably be amused to know that…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bust of “Lawyer Lincoln” Returns for its second century on the Illinois Circuit (7.2) Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of self-educated Illinois Lawyer Abe Lincoln…
- MacNeil’s Bust of John Stewart Kennedy ~ 100 Years Ago ~ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (7.1) A BRIEF NOTE from the Webmaster: “We did not discover…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (6.8)
Related Images:
After the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, MacNeil had a studio in the Marquette Building. Black Pipe modeled and helped him there. Hermon said that BLACK PIPE …
… stayed with me in all for a year and a half, helping me with odd jobs about the studio.
MacNeil Comments on
Black Pipe: 29 years after …
in an interview with J. W. McSpadden in 1922
MACNEIL: “Yes, and you may find it an interesting yarn. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show had been in Chicago during the Fair, and one of his braves was Black Pipe, a Sioux, a fine-looking fellow. He had stayed behind, and one day I met him on the streets, looking hungry and cold, and asked him if he wanted something to do. He did there was no doubt about that. I took him into the studio, fed him up, and then set to work modeling his head.
I finished it in four hours, for I was not sure that I would ever see my Indian again; but he stayed with me in all for a year and a half, helping me with odd jobs about the studio. That’s his head there.”
It was a life-size bronze, which he indicated, not done in full relief but resting on a plaque a strong piece of portraiture.
Black Pipe later became the model for “Primitive Indian Music,” also known as “The Primitive Chant” and “The Primitive Chant to the Great Spirit.”
As posted last Month on October 8, 2023, Black Pipe was a model for multiple statues and reliefs.
Because Black Pipe was among “white folks” long enough to not be superstitious about being photographed and modeled in clay, he became a studio helper, model, and regular for over a year.
‘The Primitive Chant” … is one of my best-known Indian subjects.” MacNeil
Black Pipe became the model for “Primitive Indian Music,” also known as “The Primitive Chant,” and the “The Primitive Chant to the Great Spirit.”
This is the spirited figure of a naked savage dancing to the music of his own flute. It has been widely copied in art prints.
Source: Joseph Walker McSpadden, Famous Sculptors of America, (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1924) pp. 311-12
In reviewing “The Primitive Chant to the Great Spirit,” Lorado Taft praised MacNeil’ sculptural work and composition YET CRITICIZED how a warrior chanting into his elbow could be called “MUSIC ?” MACNEIL, by contract knew that Native American dances, such as “The Prayer for Rain” of the Hopi’s or the “Moque Runner” were acts of devotion to the Creator Spirit.
MacNeil’s exposure to the life of Native Tribes appreciated their AWE, WONDER, and WORSHIP embedded in such Ritual Actions.
See Taft’s critique from this April 25, 2012 posting:
Part 1: “The Primitive Chant to the Great Spirit” Hermon A. MacNeil~Sculptor of the American West
Related posts:
- BLACK PIPE ~~ MacNeil’s 1894 Roundel ~~ Only 2 Exist (18.6) This website has found the ONLY TWO BLACK PIPE Roundels…
- 123 Year old Bas Relief of “Black Pipe The Sioux at Six Teen Years” has been reported to www.HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com (16.6) 2017 BLACK PIPE in 14 stories A never before seen or…
- MORE on BLACK PIPE #2 ~ How The SIOUX Brave returned to South Dakota. (14.5) I RECEIVED AN EMAIL on September 24, 2023 FROM: Kevin…
- BLACK PIPE, the SIOUX, Returns to South Dakota on “Native American Day” ~ ~ (12.3) 2023 After 130 years, Black Pipe, the Sioux, has returned…
- 2016 ~ A Double Anniversary Year for Hermon Atkins MacNeil (8.9) 1886-2016 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Hermon A. MacNeil…
- Hermon MacNeil Supported Black Sculptor: Augusta Savage: ~ 1923 ~~ Part #1 (8.6) MacNeil wrote a letter in 1923 advocating for Miss Augusta…
