WELCOME to the “Hermon A. MacNeil” — Virtual Gallery & Museum !
~ This Gallery celebrates my great Uncle, Hermon Atkins MacNeil an American classic sculptor of the Beaux Arts School. He sculpted Native images and American history: ~ World’s Fairs, statues, monuments, coins, and more… ~ Over 300 stories (25 per page) in 10 pages. (Click on Next Page >> at bottom). View thousands of photos from this virtual MacNeil Gallery. It stretches from New York to New Mexico ~ Oregon to S. Carolina. ~ 2016 marked the 150th Anniversary of Hermon MacNeil’s birth. ~ Hot-links ( lower right) lead to works by Hermon Atkins MacNeil. ~~Do you WALK or DRIVE by MacNeil sculptures DAILY! ~ TRAVEL DIGITALLY to my Uncle Hermon’s works here!
Daniel Neil Leininger, webmaster
DO YOU walk by MacNeil Statues and NOT KNOW IT ???
The greenery of Albany’s Washington Park provides the setting for this marble monument sculpted by Hermon A. MacNeilsitting on a granite base, with a bronze female statue representing the Nation, as she cradles the palms and garlands of victory. The monument represents “The Nation at Peace Won Through Victorious War”.
It was erected by the Grand Army of the Republic as a monument to Civil War veterans. Restored in 1986, it was renamed the Albany Veterans Memorial Monument. On October 5, 2012, after another restoration funded by the Washington Park Conservancy, the Monument was rededicated at a ceremony which marked the city’s official observation of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.
In a competition to select the design the commission selected Hermon MacNeil over five other sculptors. The bronze figure represents “The Nation at Peace Won Through Victorious War”.
The monument is 22 ft. high and 21 ft. wide; it’s built from Tennessee marble and granite from Stoney Creek.
Etched in marble behind Victory are soldiers and sailors marching to her defense.
The inscription reads:
“In commemoration of the men of Albany who gave their lives to save the Union, and in grateful recognition of all whose patriotism aided to giving to this nation under God a new birth of freedom, in making love of country a national virtue and endowing our land with peace and prosperity. “
The bronze figure of Victory represents the country. She holds palms of victory and peace, and a sheathed sword of war. Etched in marble behind her are soldiers and sailors marching to her defense. On the other side is a Civil War battery in action. One end shows a wounded drummer boy; the other a soldier returning to his wife and child. There are about 60 life size figures cut into the monument.
Back side shows a Civil War artillery battery in action.
Soldiers and Sailors’ Monument in Washington Park, Albany NY
The right end shows a wounded drummer boy.
The Left end shows a soldier coming home to his wife and child.
There are about 60 life size figures cut into the monument.
Friends of Albany told the monuments story this way:
Sometimes we take for granted the things we see every day. The Monument honoring Albany men who served in the Civil War probably falls into that category. It sits at the entrance to Washington Park at Henry Johnson Blvd.
Estimates vary, but we think about 7,000 -8,000 Albany soldiers and sailors served in the Civil War (Keep in mind the population of the city was about 62,000 in 1860.) They were old and young, married and single, and they were white and African American.
Yes, there were Black troops from Albany in the War. Most served in “Colored” regiments, but some served in “regular” regiments. (Much more research needs to be done to identify these men.)
Some of the men enlisted in regiments mustered in Albany, like the 44th New York. Others had moved out of the Albany by the time the War started, and enlisted in the towns and cities where they lived across the North.
They fought in almost every battle and naval action, from the first Battle of Bull Run, to the siege of Vicksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the clash of the Merrimack and the Monitor, and were there at the surrender at Appomattox Court House.
And those who returned formed Veteran’s organizations.*In Albany there were about 5 – my GGG Charles Zeilman, who fought at Little Round Top helped found the Lew Benedict Post. Quickly these individual posts banded together in a great association called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).
And so the local chapters of the GAR across the country raised funds and lobbied governments for memorials to those who served and died. These monuments can be found in big cities and small towns all across the North.
Most were built in the latter part of the 19th century, but in the early part of the 1900s it became clear that the Vets were growing old and passing away. So there was a re-newed push for monuments to commemorate their heroic efforts. In Albany that began about 1906.
The New York State Legislature appropriated $100,000 and additional funds were raised. The original location selected was Capitol Park, but that changed. There was a competition to select the design; the commission was awarded to Hermon Hermon A. MacNeiland represents “The Nation of Peace Won Through Victorious War”.
The monument is 22 ft. high and 21 ft. wide; it’s built from Tennessee marble and granite from Stoney Creek.
The inscription reads:
“In commemoration of the men of Albany who gave their lives to save the Union, and in grateful recognition of all whose patriotism aided to giving to this nation under God a new birth of freedom, in making love of country a national virtue and endowing our land with peace and prosperity. “
A bronze figure represents the country. She holds palms of victory and peace, and a sheathed sword of war. Etched in marble behind her are soldiers and sailors marching to her defense. On the other side is a Civil War battery in action. One end shows a wounded drummer boy; the other a soldier returning to his wife and child. There are about 60 life size figures cut into the monument.
The memorial was dedicated with a grand ceremony and parade in October, 1912.
Until the Great War (World War I) and the creation of Memorial Grove and the Gold Star Mothers Monument in the Grove, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument was the focus of all Decoration (Memorial) Day activities.
*Sadly the Veterans posts mostly excluded African American soldiers who fought in the colored regiments. But in Saratoga County Billy Lattimore, (identified in the 1860 census as mulatto) fought with the 77th NY, and was an active member of the GAR for 50 years. (His grandfather Ben Lattimore Sr., a Revolutionary War soldier, is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery. )
However, the GAR national organization did include a number of African American members and officers who fought in regular and colored regiments, including a number of men who were born enslaved in the South.
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.” Thelittle webmasterin my mind said,
Hermon MacNeil’s statue no longer exists, but“Electricity”was a Symbolic Soldier in the “War of the Titans” of Electrical Technology: AC versusDC.
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.
Since 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 havea
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?
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.
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
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…
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
Postcard, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Augusta Savage, 1939. Frank E. Cooper, New York City, publisher. Curt Teich & Co., Chicago, printer. The Wolfsonian–FIU, The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection, XC1991.170.573.
H.A. MacNeil’sGeneral 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 pointin 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 Lincolnoriginally 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
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 cremainswere 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 thekind-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-sharedhome 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.
HERMON ATKINS MACNEIL (1866-1947) BAS RELIEF PORTRAIT
“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.
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 Officeissued a Commemorative4 Centstamp, 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.
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
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 twoways 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!
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.
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
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.
Hermon MacNeils bust titled “Agnese” as pictured in Larado Taft’s “History of Ameican Sculpture” in 1904.
Lady Liberty at the Flushing Monument.
Northwestern Univ. “Pat”
“Prosperity and Peace” McKinley Memorial
Hermon Atkins MacNeil (American, 1866-1947) CAROL BROOKS MACNEIL, N.D. Bronzed plaster 14 1/2″ x 8″ x 7 1/2″ Signed: H. A. MACNEIL. Photo by JOEL ROSENKRANZ 1986 (#5430)
Etching of Carol Louise Brooks MacNeil by William Harry Warren Bicknell ~ about 1891
Carol Brooks MacNeil
Carol Brooks MacNeil
“Carrie” Brooks
Carol Brooks MacNeil – 1907 – Twelve years after her marriage to Hermon
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)
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.
THEGALLEYis 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.
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 THEGALLEY and working with Vicki Corporon. Many factors contribute to that pleasure:
Our travel through Scotlandand Isle of Barrain 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.
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.
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 Museummany 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).”
Here is ONE place to go to see sculpture of Hermon A. MacNeil & his students. Located in cities from east to west coast, found indoors and out, public and private, these creations point us toward the history and values that root Americans.
Daniel Neil Leininger ~ HAMacNeil@gmail.com
Hosting & Tech Support: Leiturgia Communications, Inc. WATCH US GROW
WE DESIRE YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS – Suggestions
1. Take digital photos of the work from all angles, including setting.
2. Take close up photos of details that you like
3. Look for MacNeil’s signature. Photograph it too! See examples above.
4. Please, include a photo of you & others beside the work.
5. Tell your story of adventure. It adds personal interest.
6. Send photos to ~ Webmaster at: HAMacNeil@gmail.com
A bronze figure represents the country. She holds palms of victory and peace, and a sheathed sword of war. Etched in marble behind her are soldiers and sailors marching to her defense. On the other side is a Civil War battery in action. One end shows a wounded drummer boy; the other a soldier returning to his wife and child. There are about 60 life size figures cut into the monument.
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Hermon MacNeil’s statue no longer exists, but
1890:
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 
