Chief Manuelito Sculpture
Archive for Statue
Mar
21
Hermon MacNeil ~~ Statue of George Washington as Commander of the Continental Army ~~
Posted by: | Comments
MacNeil’s likeness of General Washington guards the right flank of the Washington Arch in Greenwich Village
MacNeil’s statue of George Washington as “Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army” is unique.
The majority of Statues of Washington portray him as the first President.
Perhaps, Washington is the most memorialized of the founders.
George Washington was appointed the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on June 15th, 1775.
H. A. MacNeil’s “Washington at War” balances the east side of the Arch in Washington Square while Alexander Stirling Calder’s “Washington as President” graces the west side. Both sculptors studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and represent that art style.
Hermon MacNeil’s many sculptures and monuments have the Stars and Stripes nearby.
Placed on the Arch in 1916, it has been a favorite rally point for Parades, Protests, and Celebrations.
General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
Related Images:
Feb
22
2026 MacNeil Month
For over a Century the Arch and Washington statues remain a Rally Point for NYC and the Nation.
Hermon MacNeil sculpted General George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
In 1916 this sculpture was placed on the East plinth of the newly completed Washington Arch.
1946 WWII Victory Parade of the 82nd US Army Airborne between the statues of Geo Washington by Hermon A. MacNeil and Alexander Stirling Caulder.
Two years later on the west Plinth, Alexander Stirling Caulder’s statue of President George Washington was added to the west leg of the Arch.
Forty-Six years later Troops of the 82nd Airborne staged a Victory Parade between the Two memorial statues of Washington, our 1st Commander and President.
Eventually, Fifth Avenue was closed off through the Park, a pond was added to South side, and Washington Park became the pedestrian venue it is today.
Now Eighty-years later, the Arch and both statues continue as a rally point for protests in NYC and the Nation.
OTHER Images from MacNeil work
MacNeil’s likeness of General Washington with Fame guarding from the rear flank.
I viewed and photographed MacNeil’s original plaster model of Washington as Commander of the Continental Army at the Swope Art Museum
in Terre Haute, Indiana,
where the plasters have been in storage since 1947 after the death of the sculptor. His widow Cecelia MacNeil released them from the MacNeil estate.
Jim Haas and Charlie Chiclacos, drove a rental van to Swope Museum in Terre Haute last year to retrieve some of these pieces.
Hermon A. MacNeil’s plaster sculpture of “George Washington” as concept study for the Washington Arch in NYC (1916) [Photo taken at Swope Museum of Terra Haute, IN by Dan Leininger]
Abortion rights activists hold a sign reading “Regulate Guns Not Wombs” as they march from Washington Square Park to Bryant Park protesting the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade by the US Supreme Court, in New York, on June 24, 2022. (Photo by ALEX KENT/AFP via Getty Images) Retrieved April 13, 2023
George Washington Sculptures at Washington Square Arch, Washington Square Park
Designed by architect Stanford White, the Arch was dedicated in 1895. Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor was designed by Hermon Atkins MacNeil and was installed in 1916. Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice was designed by Alexander Stirling Calder and installed in 1918. A major restoration of the arch was completed in December 2004. Source: [http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M090/news]
Related Images:
Jun
01
IT IS FIXED ! ~~~ MacNeil’s “Pony Express” Statue is Beautifully Repaired!
Posted by: | Comments
I stopped in St. Joe, MO on May 18, 2025 and took this picture.
~~
I was surprised to see finished repairs as I stopped in St. Joe, MO on May 18, 2025. All four faces of the base appeared newly repaired and engraved after 85 years of deterioration. See old photo ==>>
The Pony Express statue was Hermon MacNeil’s last public monument when unveiled in 1940.
It marks the first station on the westward mail route route to Sacramento, California filling the gap where the railroad was still under construction.
The Pony Express Monument has welcomed residents to Downtown St. Joseph on Frederick Avenue since it was first constructed in 1938, but decades of exposure are causing the massive granite slab that holds the bronze statue to deteriorate, compromising the entire structure.”
I was surprised to see finished repairs on May 18, 2025. They first thought that the base needed to be replaced and repairs would take up to 2 years.
~~
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:
Jan
17
“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
1998 – Salt Lake City, Utah
This is the Place Heritage Park
Sculptor: Dr Avard Fairbanks
This is the Place Heritage Park
Sculptor: Dr Avard Fairbanks
2001 – Casper, Wyoming
BLM Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Sculptor: Dr. Avard Fairbanks
BLM Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Sculptor: Dr. Avard Fairbanks
2002 – Julesburg, Colorado
Colorado Welcome Center
Sculptor: Brenda Daniher
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 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
THE BRAVE RIDERS OF THE
PONY EXPRESS who
HELPED SPREAD IMPORTANT NEWS,
SHRINK A CONTINENT,
AND BIND A NATION
THAT WAS BEING TORN APART
BY CIVIL WAR.
PONY EXPRESS who
HELPED SPREAD IMPORTANT NEWS,
SHRINK A CONTINENT,
AND BIND A NATION
THAT WAS BEING TORN APART
BY CIVIL WAR.
The 2025 Re-Ride will be held in June:
2025 Re-Ride Dates : June 11 to 21, East-Bound
Sacramento, CA – to – St. Joseph, MO
.
~~~
Related Images:
Dec
14
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:
Oct
01
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:
Jul
22
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:
Jul
03
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:
May
19
“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:
Apr
15
“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:
Jul
04
INDEPENDENCE DAY ~~ 247 Years !!!
Posted by: | CommentsHermon MacNeil’s Commander-in-Chief
George Washington on Arch in NYC
General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
Hermon MacNeil was a Red-White-and-Blue Sculptor of American History.
click BELOW for MORE.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~
Images of
Happy 4th of July
from Dan Leininger, Webmaster
The Stars and Stripes fly day and night at the home of Webmaster Dan Leininger in South Dakota. They are illuminated dusk to dawn by automatic lighting. (The tie, however, only waves on special occasions like July 4th.)
Related posts:
- INDEPENDENCE DAY Images ~ from Hermon A. MacNeil (7.4) Here are a few images of Independence from Hermon Atkins…
- MacNeil Month ~~ February 2016 ~~ 150 Years (6) The year 2016 marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of…
- Hermon MacNeil at the 1893 Columbian Exposition ~ ~ ~ THE CHICAGO YEARS ~ ~ (6) CHICAGO YEARS: Partners and Colleagues When Hermon MacNeil came home to the…
- More “Confederate Defenders” Protests; AND Ten Years Ago on this Website. (6) Sunday (July 12, 2020) saw continued protest at the Confederate…
- Hermon MacNeil and Hamlin Garland ~ ~ Connections Through the Years – Part 3 (6) Hermon MacNeil met Hamlin Garland in Chicago. Hermon MacNeil Hermon…
- MacNeil’s Bust of John Stewart Kennedy ~ 100 Years Ago ~ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (5.8) A BRIEF NOTE from the Webmaster: “We did not discover…
Related Images:
Jul
01
Hermon MacNeil included 2 Fasces
in his design for the
East Pediment
MacNeil – Supreme Court
The 2 Fasces of the East Pediment. On Left in yellow circle: Man with traditional fascis. On Right in green circle: Woman with a grain sheath Fascis.
Additional Examples of
FASCES in Washington, D.C. Capitol Area:
Two fasces appear on either side of the flag of the United States behind the podium in the United States House of Representatives, with bronze examples replacing the previous gilded iron installments during the remodeling project of 1950.[9]
Podium of the
U. S. House of Representatives:
Podium of the U. S. House of Representatives
These 2 large Bronze fasces frame both sides of the Flag of the United States behind the podium in the United States House of Representatives. These larger-than-life bronze examples replaced the previous gilded iron installments during the remodeling project of 1950.[9]
Lincoln Memorial:
Daniel Chester Frenches tribute to
Lincoln’s Preservation of the Union
Seated In the marble throne supported by two Roman fasces symbols, Daniel Chester French’s “Lincoln” gazes contemplatively over the “preserved Union.”
At the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln’s seat of state bears the fasces—without axes—on the fronts of its arms; fasces also appear on the pylons flanking the main staircase leading into the memorial.
Mercury Dime — Winged Liberty (reverse)
Fasces from the reverse of the Liberty (Winged Mercury) Dime minted from 1916 to 1945.
Another sculptor and colleague of Hermon MacNeil, Adolph Weinman, used a fasces motif in his coin design. The reverse of the Mercury Dime, the design [used until the adoption of the current FDR dime in 1945], features a fasces on the reverse side (tails).
“The Mercury dime is a ten-cent coin struck by the United States Mint from late 1916 to 1945. Designed by Adolph Weinman and also referred to as the Winged Liberty Head dime, it gained its common name because the obverse depiction of a young Liberty, identifiable by her winged Phrygian cap, was confused with the Roman god Mercury..
Other Uses of the “Fasces” in Art and Insignia.
- Statue of Freedom Fasces ring the base of the Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol building
- A frieze on the facade of the United States Supreme Court building depicts the figure of a Roman centurion holding a fasces, to represent “order”[10]
- The National Guard uses the fasces on the seal of the National Guard Bureau, and it appears in the insignia of Regular Army officers assigned to National Guard liaison and in the insignia and unit symbols of National Guard units themselves; for instance, the regimental crest of the 71st Infantry Regiment (New York) of the New York National Guard consisted of a gold fasces set on a blue background
- The official seal of the United States Tax Court bears the fasces at its center
- Four fasces flank the two bronze plaques on either side of the bust of Lincoln memorializing his Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- The seal of the United States Courts Administrative Office includes a fasces behind crossed quill and scroll
- In the Washington Monument, there is a statue of George Washington leaning on a fasces
- A fasces is a common element in US Army Military Police heraldry, most visibly on the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 18th Military Police Brigade and the 42nd Military Police Brigade
- A fasces also appears shoulder sleeve insignia of the US Army Reserve Legal Command
- Seated beside George Washington, a figure holds a fasces as part of The Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco mural suspended above the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building.
- On the podium of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C., beneath Abraham Lincoln‘s right hand. See Also: Capitol Hill Parks , National Capital Parks-East
- On the obverse of the 1896 $1 Educational Series note there is a fasces leaning against the wall behind the youth.
- In the Oval Office, above the door leading to the exterior walkway, and above the corresponding door on the opposite wall, which leads to the president’s private office; note: the fasces depicted have no axes, possibly because in the Roman Republic, the blade was always removed from the bundle whenever the fasces were carried inside the city, in order to symbolize the rights of citizens against arbitrary state power (see above).
~~
Seated In the marble throne supported by two Roman fasces symbols, Lincoln gazes contemplatively over the “preserved Union.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces Fasces article at Wikipedia
Federal fasces iconography
Emancipation Memorial
Emancipation Memorial
Related Images:
Jun
16
2023 – MacNeil & Fasces at the Supreme Court
Posted by: | CommentsThe Hermon MacNeil’s sculpture of the
East Pediment contains a hidden fasces.
~ The Fasces (located to the left of Confucius) rests on the shoulder of the man holding the boy. They represent the enforcement of the law and its passing on to coming generations.
A Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
~ Is There a
2nd Fasces?
~ The Female figure to the right is resting another bound form on her shoulder.
I had imagined it was a Sheaf of grain with leaves extended to the right. There is also a young girl (half visible to her right). Again the presence of the YOUTH suggests ‘the “Carrying on” of civilization through a internal knowledge of right and wrong’.
But being bound as a fasces,
it shares that same symbolism of
power and jurisdiction”
MacNeil described the right side or the Pediment as
tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated”.
Visitors often miss the East Pediment of the Supreme Court Building because it is located at the rear of the building. This sculptural group was designed by Hermon A. MacNeil (1866–1947), an artist who studied under the masters of classical architecture and design. Cass Gilbert (1859–1934), the architect of the building, worked closely with MacNeil from 1932 to 1934 to create the thirteen symmetrically balanced allegorical figures. MacNeil submitted the following description of his work to the Supreme Court Building Commission:
“Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The ‘Eastern Pediment’ of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East. Moses, Confucius and Solon are chosen as representing three great civilizations
and form the central group of this Pediment.Flanking this central group—left—is the symbolical figure bearing the means of enforcing the law. On the right a group tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated. The ‘Youth’ is brought into both these groups to suggest the “Carrying on” of civilization through the knowledge imbibed of right and wrong. The next two figures with shields; Left – The settlement of disputes between states through enlightened judgment. Right—Maritime and other large functions of the Supreme
Court in protection of the United States. The last figures: Left—Study and pondering of judgments. Right – A tribute to the fundamental and supreme character of this Court.Finale—The fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.”~
Fasces
Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
Related posts:
- SUPREME COURT – Arrival at last! (16.7) “Slow but steady wins the race.” So said Aesop in…
- Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court (16.5) The East Pediment of the Supreme Court of the United…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ (16.3) When the Supreme Court justices considered whether the Ten Commandments…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Tortoise & the Hare Revisited ~ ~ ~ (15.2) At each corner of the East Pediment of the…
- JOURNEY TO SUPREME COURT: ~ Finds plenty of Sculpture along the way in Washington D.C. … (14.4) I recently visited our nation’s Capitol with family. Sculpture and…
- Tortoise and Hare taken to Supreme Court (13.6) Hermon MacNeil has taken the Tortoise and the Hare to…
Related Images:
Jun
08
After the adoption of the US Constitution in 1789 and for the next 146 years, the United States Supreme Court had no permanent home. Briefly from 1789 to 1800, the Federal Government functioned out of Philadelphia, and then New York City until the permanent Capitol was built in the District of Columbia. Finally, in 1800 the U.S. Federal Government moved into Washington, D.C.
Painting: “British Burn the Capitol, 1814,” Allyn Cox, 1974, Corridor, House wing, First Floor.
The Supreme Court of the United States, however, changed its meeting place a half dozen times within the Capitol. After the British burned the Capitol in the War of 1812, the Court convened in a private home. Eventually, from 1860 until 1935, the Court sat in what is now known as the “Old Senate Chamber.”
Hermon Atkins MacNeil (1866 -1947)
Cass Gilbert architect (1859 – 1934)
Though considered a co-equal branch, the Judicial function seemed a “nomadic” tenant of space in the growing Capitol until 1929. A former President, who later served as Chief Justice, changed that itinerant existence.
Chief Justice Wm. Howard Taft 1921
In 1929 Chief Justice William Howard Taft, who had been President of the United States from 1909 to 1913, persuaded Congress to end this arrangement and authorize the construction of a permanent home for the Court. Architect Cass Gilbert was charged by Chief Justice Taft to design “a building of dignity and importance suitable for its use as the permanent home of the Supreme Court of the United States.” [Gilbert and Taft were both Ohioans and life long friends.]
Neither Taft nor Gilbert survived to see the Supreme Court Building completed. Construction proceeded under the direction of Chief Justice Hughes and architects Cass Gilbert, Jr., and John R. Rockart. The construction, begun in 1932, was completed in 1935, when the Court was finally able to occupy its own building.
Hermon MacNeil and Architects
Hermon MacNeil trained in Paris at the Ecole de Beaux Arts with both sculptors and architects. He later won the Reinhart Prize and again studied with architects and sculptors from 1896 to 1899 at the American Academy in Rome.
The New York Architectural League wanted an award medallion to present to architects and sculptors. They commissioned Hermon MacNeil to create a suitable medal. Photos of MacNeil’s original clay masters may be viewed here: [CLICK HERE]. These clay were reduced onto the steel dies used press the final medallions pictured below.
Later A. A. Weinman and Hermon MacNeil were both awarded this commemorative creation. Weinman designed the Walking Liberty half dollar and the Mercury dime
The actual medal presented to Weinman is pictured below. It resides in the webmaster’s private collection.
New York Architectural League Medal. Designed by Hermon MacNeil this is the actual medallion awarded to A. A. Weinmann. https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/medal-honor-sculpture-architectural-league-new-york Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Hermon MacNeil and Cass Gilbert
MacNeil added sculptures to at least two of Cass Gilbert’s many buildings and monument projects.
-
United States Supreme Court 1928-1935[9] Washington, DC -
St. Louis Art Museum 1901-1904[12] Saint Louis, MO
MacNeil & the Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court website suggests Gilbert was directly involved with the sculptor’s designs.
Cass Gilbert, the building’s architect, worked closely with MacNeil from 1932 to 1934 to create the thirteen symmetrically balanced figures above the Corinthian portico.
The central marble figures on this rarely noticed eastern pediment depict the theme “Justice – The Guardian of Liberty.” Sculptor MacNeil’s central figures represent three great Eastern civilizations from which our laws are derived. These figures portray lawgivers: Moses (receiver of Hebrew Ten Commandments) flanked by Confucius (Chinese philosopher and teacher) and Solon (Athenian lawmaker, statesman, and poet). Confucius is on the viewers’ left, Solon to the right, both flanking Moses with his hands on two separate tablets. 1
MacNeil & the St. Louis Art Museum (Palace of Fine Arts).
To view this collaboration from 1912: CLICK HERE
Photos:
- Painting: “British Burn the Capitol, 1814,” Allyn Cox, 1974, Corridor, House wing, First Floor. (https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/blog/most-magnificent-ruin-burning-capitol-during-war-1812)
- “The East Pediment” https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/east_pediment_11132013.pdf. SEE ALSO: “Religious Symbols Inside & Outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building”. Assembled by Nathaniel Segal 2014 http://nathanielsegal.mysite.com/TenCommandments/10SupremeCourtBuilding.html
- This Unique “New York Architectural League” Award Medal links H. A. MacNeil & A. A. Weinman. Posted by: | here on Sept. 01, 2022 https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2022/09/01/this-unique-new-york-architectural-league-award-medal-links-h-a-macneil-a-a-weinman/
- “New York Architectural League Medal” ~Original Clay Models saved from the MacNeil Studio ~ 1947 Posted by: | here on Sept. 16, 2022 https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2022/09/16/new-york-architectural-league-medal-original-clay-models-saved-from-the-macneil-studio-1947/
Research Sources:
- Cass Gilbert Society: Selected Works. Retrieved at https://www.cassgilbertsociety.org/works/ on May, 20, 2023
- Cass Gilbert Society: Biography. Retrieved at https://www.cassgilbertsociety.org/architect/bio.html on May, 20, 2023
Related Images:
May
28
Will Rogers, Got His Parting Wish. —
Posted by: | CommentsJulie Tsirkin reports “Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
As Will Rogers’ statue watches behind her
Jo Davidson, sculptor, 1921
Thanks to Jo Davidson,
“Will Rogers” is keeping his eye on Congress!
Hermon MacNeil’s “studio boy” became renowned sculptor Jo Davidson of portrait busts.
Jo Davidson looks uo to his bronze “Will Rogers” in his Paris Studio before came to the U.S.
Perhaps you saw
Julie Tsirkin,
Capitol correspondent,
report from the U.S. Capitol.
“Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
Sometimes you just see the “Will’s” legs and the shoes. But Will wanted his eyes kept on Congress. So “The old head hunter” (Will’s nickname for Jo) made his head turned so he could look down at Congress members as they walked into the Chamber.
~ ~ 0 ~ ~
“There are men running governments
who shouldn’t be allowed
to play with matches.”
– Will Rogers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don’t make jokes.
I just watch the government
and report the facts.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers statue in US Capitol sculpted by Jo Davidson who began his career as a “studio boy” for Hermon MacNeil in College Point.
If you could ever see the marble base it would reveal three words:
Will Rogers
Oklahoma
The Washington, D.C. version of the statue was unveiled in 1939.[11] At that unveiling on June 6, Senator Joshua B. Lee said of Rogers’ effect on the United States during the Depression, “His humor was the safety valve for American Life.”[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
The House Connecting corridor is the common visual background for Capitol news briefings. The nameless, but familiar, dark bronze legs or full statue, represent Will’s last wish.
Last Wish of
Will Rogers
“I need to keep my eyes
on Congress.”
Jo Davidson’s statue watched on January 6, 2021 as raging Trump protestors turned into rioters (mixed with vigilantes) attacking the Capitol Building. [ breaking windows, carrying fire arms, vandalizing desks and offices, creating chaos and danger … ]
Senators were in the Constitutional process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College which authorizes the Inauguration of the 46th President on January 20, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
HUMOR from 100 years ago:
(Then tell me if Will Rogers still speaks to us in 2023.)
- “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers
- “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.” – Will Rogers
- “If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?” – Will Rogers
- “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can’t get us out.” – Will Rogers
- “A fool and his money are soon elected.” – Will Rogers
- “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers
- “The more you observe politics, the more you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other.” – Will Rogers
- “Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” – Will Rogers
- “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.” – Will Rogers
- “An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.” – Will Rogers
- “The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” – Will Rogers
- “I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat.” – Will Rogers
- “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re actually paying for.” – Will Rogers
- “There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” – Will Rogers
- “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.” – Will Rogers
Related posts:
- DC Capitol Assault? by “Trump-it-eers!” ~~ What Would Will Rogers Say about January 6, 2021 ? (9.6) Jo Davidson was the “studio boy” for Hermon Atkins MacNeil…
- Will Rogers Bedroom ~ Ponca City ~ Post # 4 ~ (7.7) E.W. Marland the colorful oil baron of the 1910s and…
CREDITS:
- Photo: Will Rogers Statue https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/timeline/image/will-rogers-jo-davidson-1938
- Will Rogers Quotes: https://inspirationfeed.com/will-rogers-quotes/
- Will Rogers Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
Related Images:
Apr
21
Will Rogers Bedroom ~ Ponca City ~ Post # 4 ~
Posted by: | Comments
Mansion of E. W. Marland in Ponca City, Oklahoma is now a museum.
E.W. Marland the colorful oil baron of the 1910s and 1920s, was also a U.S. Congressman, as well as the 10th Governor of Oklahoma.
His dream was to live in a palace, and so he built this majestic home.The Marland Mansion & Estate, completed in 1928 after nearly three years.
The Marlands’ Mysterious Legacy
CLICK HERE THE FULL STORY:
WILL ROGERS BEDROOM
On our recent tour of the Marland Mansion in Ponca City, Oklahoma, we entered the
“Will Rogers Bedroom.”
THE foursome of
- E. W. Marland,
- Will Rogers,
- Jo Davidson and
- Hermon MacNeil
seem an unlikely quartet.
However, their paths crossed multiple times, especially in the “Pioneer Woman” project. 
- Marland recruited Davidson to come to Ponca City where he had built a studio for a sculptor.
- Davidson completed statues of Marland family members and traveled with Marland across the U.S. in his private railroad car.
- Marland invited Will Rogers to speak at the unveiling of the “Pioneer Woman”, to great public acclaim.
- Will Rogers stayed at the Mansion many times.
- Hermon MacNeil and his student, Jo Davidson, both submitted models for the “Pioneer Woman”.
Will Rogers called Davidson “That old head hunter” because he asked to do Will’s portrait so many times.- Davidson returned to MacNeil’s studio in 1945 to complete a portrait bust of his teacher, H. A. MacNeil. He then made a unique bronze casting of the piece. It graces the banner of this site.—>>
- In 1947 the American Academy of Arts and Letters hosted a retrospective featuring nearly 200 of Jo Davidson’s works..
The Marland Mansion in Ponca City has a picture of Will Rogers on the Bedroom wall.
Betty Rogers, widow of Will, signed the photo as follows:
To Governor Marland,
With Sincere regard,
Betty Rogers
_________
~~~~~~~~
Will Rogers was the closing speaker at the 1930 unveiling and Dedication of the “Pioneer Woman” statue.
Related Images:
Feb
24
#5 ~ A ‘Supreme Secret’ from the MacNeil Family ~ The “Tortoise and Hare” ~ Feb. 2023
Posted by: | Comments#1. A “Tortoise and Hare” are hiding at the Supreme Court
That’s no FABLE, Aesop!
They’ve been there for 91 years. Hiding on back of the building.
Can you see them there?
The ‘Hare’ of Aesop’s fable as to ‘Slow but Steady’ Justice.
The ‘Tortoise’ of Aesop’s fable as MacNeil’s Finale of Justice.
Maybe this
HELPS?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Plus #2 the
‘Supreme Secret’
from the Family …
MacNeil.
Guess, WHO SCULPTED the Tortoise and the Hare on the East Pediment?”
NOW, just this week,
Carolyn Saul (‘Carrie’ MacNeil’s grand niece)
shared a MacNeil family story, 3 generations old.
“I was always told that
Hermon let one of his sons
design the tortoise and the hare.
Have you heard that?
[Yes, I heard that “tender tidbit” years ago
but it never became a story on this site.]
WHICH son, Claude or Alden? This bit of MacNeil Lore does not say. Claude worked in aviation. Alden was an architect, who formally studied art at Fountainbleu.
The brothers are described in the March 1928 Obituary of their younger sister Joie Katherine MacNeil as follows:
She leaves behind her parents, two brothers, Alden a recent graduate of Cornell University and now a student in the famous Fountainbleu art school, and Claude, an aviator and mechanical engineer on the staff of the Sikorsky Aircraft Manufacturing Company at College Point. Source: The Daily Star, Queens Borough, Tuesday Evening, March 20, 1928. Page 4, column 7.
Alden seems the more probable
of Hermon’s sons to assist in the 1932
rendering of the East Pediment pair
of the Tortoise and Hare.
NOW, Carolyn’s comment validates that idea from
MacNeil-family-lore
through three generations.
~ ~ ~ ~
The MacNeil’s SUPREME COURT statues
“JUSTICE THE GUARDIAN OF LIBERTY”
Are the most viewed pages on this website.
Here’s just two days of page views to sample from MacNeil Month:
| Page Titles viewed on Feb. 10, 2023 |
Views | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ | 6 | |
| 2. Home page / Archives | 5 | |
| 3. Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court
TOTALS: |
2
13 |
| Page Titles viewed on Feb. 16, 2023 | Views | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Home page / Archives | 4 | |
| 2. Tortoise and Hare taken to Supreme Court | 3 | |
| 3. Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court | 1 | |
| 4. NSS_Presidents1929~HAM-JEF-AAW-DCF-HA | 1 | |
| 5. Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ | 1 | |
| Total views of posts on your blog | 10 |
“SLOW BUT STEADY”
Justice WINS the RACE
Thanks, Uncle Hermon
Related Images:
Feb
20
#4 ~ Presidents Day 2023 – MacNeil-Brooks Month
Posted by: | CommentsHermon MacNeil’s 3 Sculptures
for Presidents Day
2023
Presidents Day honors the February birthdays of
George Washington (Feb 22nd) and
Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12th)
Presidents’ Day, officially Washington’s Birthday, in the United States,
(third Monday in February)
popularly recognized as honoring
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
The day is sometimes understood as a celebration of the
birthdays and lives of all U.S. presidents.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
View MacNeil’s Presidents yourself > > > >
George Washington – Postings of MacNeil’s
George Washington as Commander-in-Chief
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Abraham Lincoln – Postings of MacNeil’s
Abraham Lincoln – Prairie Lawyer
William McKinley – Postings of MacNeil’s
William McKinkey
HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY 2023
Related posts:
- ~ ~ ~ MacNeil’s SCULPTURES of PRESIDENTS ~ ~ ~ An Inauguration Day Reflection. (6) On this Presidential Inaugural Day, the 57th in our history,…
- Presidents Day 2020 ~~ MacNeil Month ~~ Wm. McKinley ~~ Abe Lincoln ~~ Geo. Washington ~~ “THEY ARE ALL THERE” — H.A MacNeil’s Sculptures of 3 Presidents ~~ (5) “They are still there” celebrates several re-visits and discoveries of…
- Happy Birthday Mr. Washington! ~ Part TWO ~ MacNeil Month #6 ~ The President Who would NOT be King. (4) NOTE: February 22nd marks the 279th Birthday of George Washington….
- INDEPENDENCE DAY Images ~ from Hermon A. MacNeil (4) Here are a few images of Independence from Hermon Atkins…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil to be featured in “The Galley” (4) Hermon MacNeil was the first president of the Clan MacNeil…
- 153rd Anniversary of the Birth of Hermon Atkins MacNeil ~ American Sculptor ~ Feb 27, 1866 (4) I never met Hermon MacNeil. I never met my maternal…
Related Images:
Feb
10
Our 1st Serendipity. In December 2022 an order came in for three (3) MacNeil Medallions.
In eight years of offering these commemoratives, no one has ever asked for three. I was so surprised, that I mistakenly shipped 2 medals.
Duuh ...
The buyer pointed out my error; and I apologized and sent a third medallion.
The 2nd Serendipity. In corresponding with the buyer, I asked,
“Are you a SLQ (Standing Liberty Quarter) collector or a
MacNeil enthusiast?”
The answer below surprised and pleased me greatly
“I am the great niece of Carol (Carrie) MacNeil. Alden Finney Brooks was my great grandfather. I have been corresponding with Jim Haas for many years. Your medallion is beautiful.“
While these medallions have reached over a hundred people I’ve labeled: “Friends of HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com”; I have never knowingly found a MacNeil relative. In the second mailing included an article I wrote for The Galley (the Clan MacNeil Magazine) to make amends.
The buyer, Carolyn Saul, added:
“I have been looking at your website. You have a treasure!
I have been to Brookgreen Gardens to see Hermon’s statues and to the Columbus Capitol to see his work there. Well and the Supreme Court Building. I was always told that Hermon let one of his sons design the tortoise and the hare. Had you heard that?
The ‘Tortoise’ of Aesop’s fable as MacNeil’s Finale.
The ‘Hare’ of Aesop’s fable as to ‘Slow but Steady’ Justice.
While I heard that “tender tidbit” years ago, it slipped from my memory, and never became a story on this site. NOW, Carolyn’s comment validates it as MacNeil-family-lore through three generations. It makes a fitting “punch line” to Hermon’s “humor” of framing the East Pediment with a Greek (Eastern) fable.
Definition: Serendipitous – occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way, “a serendipitous encounter”
Stay Tuned for our 3rd Serendipity in next post.
Related posts:
- Hermon MacNeil and Jo Davidson ~ #4 ~ “Celebrating Careers” MacNeil Month 2021 (4) MacNeil Month #4 — February 22, 2021 JO…
- Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court (3) The East Pediment of the Supreme Court of the United…
- SUPREME COURT – Arrival at last! (3) “Slow but steady wins the race.” So said Aesop in…
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ~~~ has DIED this evening! (3) Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. She was the first Jewish…
- 2023 MacNeil Month becomes “MacNeil~Brooks” Month (3) MacNeil Month becomes MacNeil~Brooks Month in 2023 Each February is…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ (2) When the Supreme Court justices considered whether the Ten Commandments…
Related Images:
Apr
04
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ What’s the FUTURE of the PAST? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Chicago Monuments Project
Posted by: | CommentsAll of Hermon MacNeil’s Lifeworks
enshrine the PAST.
SO… What is the Future of the Past?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Chicago Monuments Project
Throughout 2021 the Chicago Monuments Project has been pursuing its Mission. From over 500 public monuments in the City of Chicago, the Project has identified 41 for review related to the following issues:
- Promoting narratives of white supremacy
- Presenting inaccurate and/or demeaning characterizations of American Indians
- Memorializing individuals with connections to racist acts, slavery, and genocide
- Presenting selective, over-simplified, one-sided views of history
- Not sufficiently including other stories, in particular those of women, people of color, and themes of labor, migration, and community building
- Creating tension between people who see value in these artworks and those who do not [ Source: https://chicagomonuments.org/about ]
The PAST is under REVIEW
Hermon MacNeil’s
Marquette-Jolliet-Illini Indian Memorial
is one of the 41 under review.
Webmaster, Dan Neil Leininger and Donna on their first visit to the Marquette – jolliet – Ilini monument at Marshall and Twenty-fourth Boulevard in Chicago.
A report of recommendations is expected to be released in
Summer of 2022
The Project created written introductions for each of the 41 pieces being reviewed. MacNeil’s Jacques Marquette-Louis Jolliet Memorial is introduced as follows:
Title: Jacques Marquette-Louis Jolliet Memorial
Date: 1926
Artist: Hermon Atkins MacNeil (1866-1947)
Location: Marshall and 24th Blvd
Context: As the first Europeans to explore and document the northern portion of the Mississippi, which included the river link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi basin through what would become Chicago, French missionary Jacques Marquette and the Quebec-born cartographer Louis Jolliet, along with their Indian guides, are ubiquitous figures in the modern iconography of the founding of Chicago.
This imposing representation of Marquette and Jolliet, with a subservient American Indian at their side, was created by Hermon Atkins McNeil, the academically trained sculptor who contributed the relief sculptures of Marquette’s life to the extraordinary decorative cycle at the Marquette Building in thirty years earlier, in 1895.
Other representations of Marquette include the commemorative plaques near the site of the Damen Avenue Bridge (1930) and at the DuSable Bridge (1925), as well as on the northeast DuSable Bridge pylon (1928).
Source: Chicago Monuments Project (https://chicagomonuments.org/monuments/jacques-marquette-louis-jolliet-memorial) retrieved March 28, 2022
“Statues of Limitations:
MacNeil’s depiction of Marquette has the priest with an inviting open right hand as his left hand holds out a crucifix above his heart. Their (Illini) Indian guide looks on in seeming fascination.
MacNeil’s Marquette-Jolliet-Illini Memorial
“Whether they’re made
of bronze or marble,
apparently not all of Chicago’s monuments
are set in stone.”
We eagerly await the Chicago Monument Project
report scheduled to be released Summer of 2022.
Related Images:
Dec
21
The death of Carol Brooks MacNeil and Hermon MacNeil’s remarriage.
Posted by: | CommentsCecelia W. Muench MacNeil
In 1944 Carol Louise Brooks MacNeil died after extended illness.
During her months of declining health, she was nursed at home by her family and a home health nurse named, Cecelia Weick Muench, RN.
Cecelia MacNeil, RN (1945). Born Cecelia Weick in 1897. She served as a nurse in WWI in the European theater. She married Karl Weick in about 1920.
Cecelia Weick had served in the US Army as a battlefield Nurse during the World War. Caring for wound soldiers in war zones during WWI, she was no stranger to trauma and suffering.
As a young girl, her father taught her to appreciate art and took her to museums. He introduced her to “The Sun Vow” at the MMA. He told her that Hermon MacNeil was a “great American sculptor”. So she knew the name and fame of the Sculptors Macneil all her adult life.
So when an opportunity came for Cecelia to enter the MacNeil home and care for Carol during her dying months, she was more than just “another nurse.” She was a battle-hardened R.N. who could appreciate the works and careers of these two sculptors as their lives were parting in the months of Carol’s dying.
She must have brought a nurse’s compassion and an art lovers appreciation with her into this family of sculptors.
In her later years, Cecelia described herself by saying:
“I am familiar, too familiar, with death and dying, with the totality that is the human condition.” 1
She had a front row seat to Hermon’s lived-grief over the loss of his “Carrie.” But as Carol’s condition worsened, the needs exceeded the home-care options of the day. She was admitted to the Jamacia (Queens) Hospital.
Eventually, Carol Brooks MacNeil died there on June 22, 1944.
With the death of Carol MacNeil on June 22, 1944, the fifty-year partnership of the “Sculptors MacNeil” ended. Their connection which began in the “White City” of the Chicago Worlds Fair, continued through their years of training in Rome and Paris, maturing in Queens, NY, during the four decades they shared their College Point Studio and home.
For the next two years Hermon MacNeil continued to live alone in his College Point home. Next door was to the stone Studio building where he and Carol had sculpted together through the years of their marriage. Hermon must have felt an emptiness without Carol in his life, home and studio.
Postcard of MacNeil studio in College Point. From the webmaster’s collection.
Two 2nd Marriages
Hermon married Cecilia W. Muench in 1945. Cecelia was nearly 30 years younger than Hermon. Both of them had been recently widowed.
After serving in the World War, Cecelia Muench had married and continued her career as a RN. In 1940 a snapshot of her life was captured in the 1940 U.S. Census. She was 43 years old living in Queens, New York, with Karl, her husband, two daughters, Dorothy (18), Sarah (17) and a son, Karl (13). Her mother, Anna Weick also lived with the family.
Cecilia Weick first heard the name of “Hermon Atkins MacNeil” in 1909 on her 12th birthday. To celebrate, her father took her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ascending into the American Wing, they sat down on a bench near MacNeil’s sculpture group of “The Sun Vow.” After at least five minutes of silence my father commented.
“Ceil, the man who created this work is surely one of the greatest American Sculptors. Never, never forget his name.”
I am still a romantic. My father’s words were to be part of my destiny. 37 years later I married Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
The photo on the cover shows the original plaster model of Hermon Atkins MacNeil’s “The Sun Vow”, executed in Rome while the sculptor was on a Reinhart scholarship.
Cecelia told this story of her 12th birthday in opening paragraphs of an article that she published in 1974, under the title, “Sculptor Americanus: Hermon Atkins MacNeil.” 1 Two additional articles completed the series of her remembrances.
Sculptor Americanus
MORE from this series of articles by Cecelia Weick MacNeil will be told in …
— February 2022 —
“MacNeil Month”
So return
here
to
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/
for
MORE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES:
- Cecelia MacNeil with Dr. Allen Nestle. “Sculptor Americanus: Hermon Atkins MacNeil”. (First in a Series of Three), The Antiques Journal, April 1974, pp. 10-13, 54.
- Lynn H. Burnett. (Editor’s Comments:)“Hermon Atkins MacNeil in Historical Perspective”. The Antiques Journal April 1974, pp. 4, 5, 48.
- Cecelia MacNeil with Dr. Allen Nestle. “Sculptor Americanus: Hermon Atkins MacNeil”. (Second in a Series of Three), The Antiques Journal, May 1974, pp. 28-31.
- Cecelia MacNeil with Dr. Allen Nestle. “Sculptor Americanus: Hermon Atkins MacNeil”. (Third in a Series of Three), The Antiques Journal, June 1974, pp. 32-35, 51.
Related Images:
Aug
13
A 1894 Sculpture of Charles F. Browne ~ ~ ~ by Hermon A. MacNeil.
Posted by: | CommentsOut of public view, deep in the archives of the Chicago Art Institute rests a 127 year old bust of Charles F. Browne, American artist.
Cast in Bronze with a dark brown patina, the piece is signed on pedestal; “MacNeil ’94” / “American Art Bronze Foundry. J. Berchem. / Chicago”
Charles Francis Browne, MacNeil Colleague and American Artist.
The subject was Hermon MacNeil’s colleague, frontier traveling companion, and studio mate in their Marquette Building studio. The piece came out of their years in Chicago after the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
The archival piece enters its third century of history “OFF VIEW” at the archives of the Art Institute of Chicago. Here we offered it exclusively to You, —“Friends of Hermon Atkins MacNeil” — & followers of ‘HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com’. ENJOY !!
1895. With Hamlin Garland as their guide, the pair rode by train and horse back to the south west territories of the Navajo, Hopi, (Moqui). MacNeil recalled years later, “We found Indians a plenty and perhaps because I was keenly interested in them I was in heaven and I flared to a high pitch, working from sunrise to dark. …”
“Browne painted murals for the Children’s Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition and became an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago’s rapidly growing school.” 2
Hamilin Garland and Browne were “double” brothers-in-law having married sisters of Lorado Taft, the chief sculptor of the Exposition. Taft was the brother of both of their wives. They all along with MacNeil were part of the Eagles Nest, a summer artist colony in Oregon, Illinois. Browne was a founder of the summer group.
Portrait of Charles F. Browne by H. A. MacNeil 1894. Art Institute of Chicago. [Signed on pedestal; “MacNeil ’94” / “American Art Bronze Foundry. J. Berchem. / Chicago”] 1
The dating of the bust of C. F. Browne precedes their venture to the Southwest Territory but documents the shared years of their early careers in the 19th century.
Writing in 1943, MacNeil recalls these years in Chicago:
“I took a small studio in Chicago and tried to see if I could make a go of it. C. F. Browne, painter, was also stranded there and I invited him to share a studio with me. During that year (evenings) I was asked to teach sculpture and drawing in the school of the Art Institute and also had the good fortune to have four bas-reliefs to do illustrating the life of Pere Marquette.” [ MacNeil, Autobiography
MacNeil’s four bas-reliefs of the life of Pere Marquette still make frame the four-door entrance of the building
The Marquette Building panels after cleaning efforts several years ago sparkle with history and beauty at the 140 South Dearborn Street entrance.
Chicago Architecture celebrated the building renovation and mentioned the 126 year old sculpture panels”
“At the main entrance are four bronze relief sculptures by Hermon A. MacNeil illustrating Father Marquette and Louis Joliet’s travels. They depict the pair launching their canoes, meeting Native Americans, arriving at the Chicago River, and interring Marquette’s body. On the revolving doors are kick plates with tomahawks and push plates with panther heads designed by Edward Kemeys (of the Art Institute lions fame). The vestibule features French and Catholic motifs like fleurs-de-lis and the cross.”
~ ~ ~ ~ Chicago Art Institute Notations for this work ~ ~ ~ ~
Portrait of Charles F. Browne by H. A. MacNeil 1894.
Portrait of Charles Francis Browne. Date: 1894
Artist: Hermon Atkins MacNeil. American, 1866–1947
ABOUT THIS ARTWORK: Currently Off View
SOURCES:
- Art Institute of Chicago. Portrait of Charles Frances Brown by Hermon MacNeil. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/102974/portrait-of-charles-francis-browne
- See Also: M Christine Schwartz Collection. https://schwartzcollection.com/artist/charles-francis-browne/
Related Images:
Jul
20
Hermon MacNeil’s “Chief Manuelito” has returned home. He has a completely restored look and frame.
[CLICK Next arrows below >> to View 10 more Photos]
MacNeil’s original 1895 Chief Manuelito as he rested above the doors of C.N. Cotton’s Trading Post in Gallup, New Mexico
During his 127 years of standing in Gallup, New Mexico, MacNeil’s 8’4″ cement constructed “Chief” was:
Chief Manuelito of the Navajo (circa 2003)
Commissioned by trader, C. N. Cotton,- Sculpted under a tent cover in the desert,
- Sculpted of cement,
- Built around a wood and wire armature,
- Wrapped in the colors of the Chief’s blanket,
- Standing above the entrance of the trading post,
- Weather-beaten,
- Sun-baked,
- Often repainted,
- Moved awkwardly,
- Visited by Navajo Elders and young children,
- Becoming an icon of the Navajo people,
- Hidden from sale to a grocery conglomerate,
- Stored in a warehouse by the Cotton family,
- Donated to McKinley County, N.M. at age 115 years,
- Approved for restoration with County funds,
- Professionally restored by EVERGREENE Architectural Arts,
- The new centerpiece of the Courthouse Annex,
- Given a new century as an “Icon” on the people of Gallop, N.M.
Evergreene Arts employee patiently restoring Hermon MacNeil’s 1895 desert figure of Chief Manuelito.
MacNeil’s “Chief Manuelito of the Navajo” as restored by McKinley County for new Courthouse Annex.
MacNeil sculpted a cement statue of Chief Manuelito for trader C. N. Cotton under a tent in the dessert. His subsequent sculptures of Native Americans after that summer of 1895 continued his cultural interest. That fascination began with his friendship and sculpting of Black Pipe, the Sioux warrior. He first met Black Pipe at the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The Sioux modeled for MacNeil and later worked in his studio for over a year before MacNeil’s trip with Garland.
AN AMAZING STORY OF RESTORATION:
EVERGREENE Architectural Arts of Brooklyn N.Y. is the enterprise that restored this piece. Their story of this project with photos of the elements of the project are duplicated here from their website. 1
City Hall, Gallup, NMChief Manuelito served as an important Navajo leader in the mid-19th century against the encroachment of the U. S. Government. Kit Carson’s scorched earth campaign left many native people starving though until they were forced to turn themselves in. Throughout this period, Manuelito led attacks and remained among the last to surrender. He remained a popular leader, advocating for perseverance in the native culture and advancement through education. He is represented here by the artist Hermon Atkins MacNeil, who created several other notable sculptures of Native American subjects and themes.
The Chief Manuelito sculpture was created using wood, plaster, and paint. Past cleaning efforts had caused significant damage. Cracks in the gypsum and plaster layers were associated with the movement of the wooden armature. The sculpture had areas of loss, and areas of visible previous repairs.
FOOTNOTES:
- Restoration – https://evergreene.com/projects/chief-manuelito-sculpture/
- History of Manuelito, Navajo Chief. Read more at: https://www.aaanativearts.com/manuelitio-navajo
Archive for October, 2011 posting on Manuelito’s return
Update ~ MacNeil’s “Chief Manuelito” ~ Has Returned!
Posted by: | Comments
GOOD NEWS ! SURPRISE ~ Hermon MacNeil’s Chief Manuelito is back!
Yesterday’s post about MacNeil and Manuelito generated considerable interest and news from Gallup, NM.
Carolyn Milligan saw our Native American Day story and responded:
“The restored Manuelito has been installed. Early tomorrow I’ll see and visit him. There are a few details to conclude but I will send you images of the restoration. Manuelito[‘s] dignity and presence have been skillfully restored. You will be pleased with the result.” … Give me a few days to reply to you and to send you images of Manuelito installed in his new location. You will then have before and after images of Manuelito to include on your website.
Artist Julian Scott’s portrait of Manuelito‑ Chief of the Navajos [Source: americangallery.wordpress.com]
In his seventy-five years of life, the Chief was driven, accused, abused, enraged, betrayed, wise, proud and a thousand other emotions that a leader might feel in a war of cultures. All these experiences exacted a price from his life and energy.
Harrison Lapahle’s website offers a brief history of Manuelito. He describes the warrior’s closing years with a sorrow and painful candor that recalls the similar sorrow of his Navajo Nation.
“He spent the last ten years of his life unhappy, certain that he had done the wrong thing by encouraging education, and by taking back all the livestock stolen by the young raiders of the tribe. Whisky was small comfort for his misery, but he drank it anyway. All around him his people still believed his words “Education is the ladder,” and they sent more and more of their children to school. They followed Manuelito even though he refused to lead them any longer.
A delegation of Navajo representatives who traveled to Washington, D.C., in 1874 to discuss the provisions of the 1868 treaty with President Ulysses S. Grant. The delegation consisted of (left to right, front row): Carnero Mucho, Mariano, Juanita (Manuelito’s wife), Manuelito, Manuelito Segundo, and Tiene-su-se Standing: “Wild” Hank Sharp (Anglo), Ganado Mucho, Barbas Hueros, Agent Arny, Kentucky Mountain Bill (Anglo), Cabra Negra, Cayatanita, Narbona Primero, and Jesus Arviso, interpreter.
He was a disheartened man, seventy-five years old in 1893, when he became very ill. Measles and then pneumonia brought the weakened old man to his deathbed.
In his fever, the years seemed to fade as he watched the sunlight play in small patches on the hogan wall. He saw the faces around him, his friends and family. He thought he heard Zarcillos Largos say, “Come, on the path of beauty you will restore your strength.” Manuelito closed his eyes in peace.
His death saddened many Navajos who had found strength in his strength. But his life had given his people a new trail to follow, and they walked it proudly, as Manuelito had walked.” [ http://www.lapahie.com/manuelito.cfm ]
A wonderful surprise! We await the return of the Chief to Gallup.
Seeing Chief Manuelito with his ‘dignity’ back, will prepare us all for the 21st Century.
Uncle Hermon would smile.
NOTES:
- History of Manuelito, Navajo Chief. Read more at: https://www.aaanativearts.com/manuelitio-navajo
- Navajo Chief Manuelito (1818–1893) was one of the principal war chiefs of the Diné people before, during and after the Long Walk Period. His name means Little Manuel in Spanish.
- As any Navajo, he was known by different names depending upon context. He was known as Ashkii Diyinii (Holy Boy), Dahaana Baadaané (Son-in-Law of Late Texan), Hastiin Chʼilhaajiní (“Black Weeds”) and as Nabááh Jiłtʼaa (War Chief, or Warrior Grabbed Enemy) to other Diné. After his first battle at age 17, he was given the name Hashkeh Naabaah, meaning Angry Warrior.
- Read more at: https://www.aaanativearts.com/manuelitio-navajo
Related Images:
Jun
01
Judge Thomas Burke Memorial – “He quelled anti-Asian Rioters 135 years ago in Seattle!”
Posted by: | Comments
Judge Thomas Burke Monument, Seattle, Washington by Hermon A. MacNeil
1930 ~ Judge Thomas Burke Memorial by MacNeil
In February 1886, Judge Thomas Burke addressed an angry mob rioting against Chinese immigrants.
(The Judge’s public appeal occurred in the same year that MacNeil was being born over 3,000 miles away in Everett, Massachusetts), [ 135 years later, Anti-Asian bigotry and Violence against Asians appear to be nothing new . ]
“Judge Thomas Burke played a key role in calming Seattle during the anti-Chinese riots, which occurred in February 1886. Addressing a hostile audience, Burke called upon his considerable stump speaking abilities — one commentator said the Burke “had the golden gift of eloquence which has been likened to that of Patrick Henry” — to point out that minority rights must be respected. Burke also told his listeners that they should be concerned with the city’s reputation. The riots were settled by cooler heads and by the intervention of the 14th U.S. Infantry.” [Source: Thomas Burke (railroad builder)]
Forty-four years later,
Hermon A. MacNeil
was commissioned to sculpt a fitting memorial to this heroic, civic pioneer of Seattle, Washington.
The Memorial to Judge Thomas Burke (designed in partnership with famous architect Carl F. Gould* also an 1898-1903 student at École des Beaux Arts in Paris) exhibits MacNeil’s classic Beaux Arts design and allegorical figures.
Beneath the bronze bas relief of Burke’s profile, the engraved stone pilaster reads: “Patriot, Jurist, Orator, Friend, Patron of Education, First of every Movement for the Advancement of the City and State, Seattle’s Foremost and Best Beloved Citizen.”
Judge Thomas Burke
1930 ~ Thomas Burke
— Remembered as a Railroad Builder
“Burke came to Seattle in 1875 and
formed a law partnership with John J. McGilvra; he soon married McGilvra’s daughter Caroline.[2] He established himself as a civic activist: one of his first projects was to raise funds for a planked walkway from roughly the corner of First and Pike (now site of Pike Place Market) through Belltown to Lake Union.[7]
Cartoon of Thomas Burke, railroad man
He served as probate judge
1876-1880[8] and as chief justice of the Washington Territorial Supreme Court in 1888.[3]
“Irish as a clay pipe,”[9] and well liked by early Seattle’s largely Irish working class, as a lawyer Burke was well known for collecting large fees from his wealthy clients and providing free legal services for the poor. [Source: Thomas Burke (railroad builder)]
With a open-heart for the poor and immigrants, Thomas Burke rose not only in the legal profession, but also as a probate judge and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Washington Territory. He remained a civic and national leader until his dying breathe at age 76.
“Thomas Burke collapsed on December 4, 1925, while addressing the board of the Carnegie Endowment in New York City. Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, caught him as he fell. He wrote that Burke died “in the midst of an eloquent and unfinished sentence which expressed the high ideals of international conduct.” [Source: Thomas Burke (railroad builder)]
Thomas Burke – – – A man well remembered (Obituary HERE)
Hermon MacNeil – – – A Sculptor of Memorials
Related posts:
- MacNeil’s ~ Thomas Burke Monument ~ 1929 (6) Judge Thomas Burke Monument Seattle, Washington ~ Volunteer Park…
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ~~~ has DIED this evening! (5) Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. She was the first Jewish…
- Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! ~ MacNeil’s Sculpture Released from Vault ~ MacNeil Month #4 (4) Abe Lincoln will be a little late for his…
- Presidents Day 2020 ~~ MacNeil Month ~~ Wm. McKinley ~~ Abe Lincoln ~~ Geo. Washington ~~ “THEY ARE ALL THERE” — H.A MacNeil’s Sculptures of 3 Presidents ~~ (4) “They are still there” celebrates several re-visits and discoveries of…
- “Confederate Defenders Monument” Spray Painted on May 30, 2020. (4) May 30, 2020; Six Weeks ago the “Confederate…
- “MacNeil Medallion” generates new Photos of Flushing’s Lady Liberty (4) In Flushing, New York, The World War Monument by Hermon…
Related Images:
Jan
06
Will Rogers By Jo Davidson 1939. Jo started as Studio Boy for Hermon A MacNeil in 1903 for $10 per week.
Jo Davidson was the “studio boy” for Hermon Atkins MacNeil in 1903.
Since 1939, Jo Davidson’s statue of
“Will Rogers”
has looked down on Senators and Congress members as they speak and are interviewed in the Capitol Statuary Hall.
Jo Davidson’s statue watched again today as raging Trump protestors turned into rioters (mixed with vigilantes) attacking the Capitol Building. [ breaking windows, carrying fire arms, vandalizing desks and offices, creating chaos and danger … ]
Senators were in the Constitutional process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College which authorizes the Inauguration of the 46th President on January 20, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In February CHECK BACK HERE at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com for FOUR stories of Hermon MacNeil and Jo Davidson
BUT NOW
listen instead to our prized political sage of
HUMOR from 100 years ago:
(Then tell me if Will Rogers still speaks to us in 2021.)
WILL ROGERS’ QUOTES
tell Us what he might say today:
- “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers
- “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” – Will Rogers
- “Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.” – Will Rogers
- “I never met a man that I didn’t like.” – Will Rogers
- “Rumor travels faster, but it doesn’t stay put as long as truth.” – Will Rogers
- “Common sense ain’t common.” – Will Rogers
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today” – Will Rogers
- “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers
- “Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.” – Will Rogers
- “Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects.” – Will Rogers
- “Do the best you can, and don’t take life too serious.” – Will Rogers
- “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers
- “There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin’. The few who learn by observation.
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.” – Will Rogers - The minute you read something that you can’t understand, you can almost be sure that it was drawn up by a lawyer.” – Will Rogers
- “We can’t all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” – Will Rogers
- “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.” – Will Rogers
- “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.” – Will Rogers
- “If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?” – Will Rogers
- “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can’t get us out.” – Will Rogers
- “A fool and his money are soon elected.” – Will Rogers
- “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers
- “I’m not a real movie star. I’ve still got the same wife I started out with twenty-eight years ago.” – Will Rogers
- “Always drink upstream from the herd.” – Will Rogers
- “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.” – Will Rogers
- “If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.” – Will Rogers
- “Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.” – Will Rogers
- “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your back pocket.” – Will Rogers
- “The more you observe politics, the more you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other.” – Will Rogers
- “Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know “why” I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved.” – Will Rogers
- “Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” – Will Rogers
- “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.” – Will Rogers
- “An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.” – Will Rogers
- “You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people.” – Will Rogers
- “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” – Will Rogers
- “The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” – Will Rogers
- “I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat.” – Will Rogers
- “If you feel the urge, don’t be afraid to go on a wild goose chase. What do you think wild geese are for anyway?” – Will Rogers
- “The problem ain’t what people know. It’s what people know that ain’t so that’s the problem.” – Will Rogers
- “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re actually paying for.” – Will Rogers
- “Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.” – Will Rogers
- “There are men running governments who shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches.” – Will Rogers
- “What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.” – Will Rogers
- “There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” – Will Rogers
- “The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.” – Will Rogers
- “Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it’s not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago.”- Will Rogers
- “It is better for someone to think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” – Will Rogers
- “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers
- “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.” – Will Rogers
- “There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.” – Will Rogers
- “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.” – Will Rogers
CREDITS:
- Photo: Will Rogers Statue https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/timeline/image/will-rogers-jo-davidson-1938
- Will Rogers Quotes: https://inspirationfeed.com/will-rogers-quotes/
