Archive for Lincoln Hall
MacNeil Month 2022 ~ “Pillar #3″ ~
Posted by: | CommentsHermon Atkins MacNeil
MacNeil Month has FOUR Pillars:
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The Smithsonian Institute archives contain this photo of MacNeil’s Lincoln standing.
is “Pillar #3
Born on February 12, 1809
& Sculpted by
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
in 1914″
MacNeil’s “Lincoln Lawyer” Bust was modeled from a now extinct piece known as the
Standing Lincoln
right =========>
The Smithsonian Institute Archives contain the photo (at right) of a plaster statue of Abraham Lincoln made by Hermon MacNeil for a competition in 1914 sponsored by the Art Commission of Illinois seeking a statue for the City of Springfield, Illinois.
MacNeil’s entry did not win the competition, but he later adapted the piece into a bust. He then duplicated it into eight (8) castings made at Roman Bronze Works in NYC.
MacNeil’s original plaster statue of Lincoln (standing) very likely has been lost to the ages. He sculpted it in 1914 for a competition of the Art Commission of Illinois. They sought a statue for the City of Springfield. After the commission chose another sculpture, MacNeil worked with Roman Bronze Works to cast 8 Lincoln busts from the original standing Lincoln.
The story of MacNeil’s adaptation of his “Standing Lincoln” plaster into the “Lincoln Lawyer” bust can be found by clicking below:
MacNeil’s “Lincoln Lawyer” Bust modeled from Standing Lincoln
Many of those “Lincoln Lawyer” busts have been located and documented here on HAM ( https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/ )
POSTINGS OF HERMON MacNEIL’s “LINCOLN LAWYER”
![The work crew of masons set the MacNeil's Lincoln bust back into the niche at the Grand Staircase of Lincoln Hall [ http://www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu/news/renovation/ ]](https://i0.wp.com/hermonatkinsmacneil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/HAM-Lincoln-bust-setback-full-e1501813074631.jpg?w=189&h=126&ssl=1 "HAM-Lincoln-bust-setback-full")
![Finishing touches clean the marble niche from which MacNeil's Lincoln will greet students entering in Lincoln Hall [ http://www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu/news/renovation/ ]](https://i0.wp.com/hermonatkinsmacneil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/HAM-Lincoln-bust-plaster-full.jpg?w=399&h=265&ssl=1 "HAM-Lincoln-bust-plaster-full")
![MacNeil's restored bust of young Abe Lincoln was bolted to a marble plate that could be cemented into place. June 26, 2013. [http://www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu/news/renovation/ ]](https://i0.wp.com/hermonatkinsmacneil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ham-Lincoln-bust-bolted-full.jpg?w=127&h=190&ssl=1 "Ham-Lincoln-bust-bolted-full")
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~ Pillars Three & Four consist of ~ (2 Birthdays and 2 US Presidents that Hermon sculpted had February Birthdays)
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“They are still there” celebrates several re-visits and discoveries of MacNeil works made in 2019. This Presidents Day we look again at:
- “William McKinley” statue in Columbus, Ohio.
The Statue of Wm. McKinley stands in front of Ohio Capitol looking out over the city of Columbus. I always marvel at MacNeil’s works all over the U.S. of A.
- The “Lincoln Lawyer” of Illinois
Image from the Re-dedication Day of Lincoln Hall at University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana in 2012.
This Lincoln Hall image was on the Tee Shirts worn by student-guides on Feb 12, 2012 for the re-opening of the renovated Hall
- Washington Square in New York City.
General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
In NYC MacNeil’s likeness of General Washington guards the rear flanks of the Washington Arch.
President McKinley was assassinated at the 1902 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. MacNeil was an exhibitor and sculpted the Award medal for that Worlds Fair. He later was awarded the commission for this McKinley Monument at the Ohio Capitol Square in Columbus.
McKinley detail ~ foot of “Industry” – a Blacksmith.
Industry and and his youthful student – allegorical figures in the McKinley grouping.
McKinley quote after taking office in 1900.
“Prosperity” and her her understudy, “Peace”
Here are three old Photos of the McKinley Monument
Early 1900s Postcard of McKinley Monument.
McKinley grouping in front of Ohio Capitol.
MacNeil’s 1915 “Lincoln” in Lincoln Hall
The restored East Foyer of Lincoln Hall with its gilted vaulted ceiling and columns makes a dramatic setting for Hermon A. MacNeil’s bust of Abrabam Lincoln as the famed prairie lawyer who left Illinois to lead the nation through the War to preserve the Union and the succession South states.
Another of Hermon MacNeil’s “Lincoln Lawyer” was found at the Rushville (Illinois) Public Library. The happy webmaster was pleased to see it and meet the Library staff. I am sure you recognize Abe Lincoln. Well the guy smilin’ on the right is me, Dan Leininger [the “happy webmaster of HAM (https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/)
MacNeil of Barra tartan
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Another “Lawyer Lincoln” comes forward from Rushville Public Library. (Part 1)
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“Lincoln Lawyer” Hermon MacNeil’s sculpture bust of Abraham Lincoln. Pictured at its home for the last 91 years.
Since 2010, this website has become a gathering point for questions and information about Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
The most recent inquiry came from the “Land of Lincoln” about MacNeil’s Abraham Lincoln which depicts the young Illinois lawyer in his clean-shaven years riding the 8th Circuit of the Illinois Court.
Marian Fretueg wrote the following:
While I was doing some research I came across a 1928 Rushville Times of Rushville, Illinois newspaper article which told of a bust of Abraham Lincoln sculpted by Hermon A. MacNeil purchased by Albert Morris Bagby of New York City. Mr. Bagby had the bust shipped to Rushville and was to be temporarily placed at the city’s library to be enjoyed by all the patrons. Rushville, Illinois was Mr. Bagby’s hometown. For some reason or other, the sculpture was never moved from our library and it now proudly on display in our new library.
After some research I could not find where this sculpture is mentioned anywhere, there was a bust of Abraham Lincoln at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Were you aware of this sculpture? I am sure it is the real thing with his name and the bronze factory where it was made on the base of the sculpture.
I have included a picture of the bust, the autograph of Mr. MacNeil’s and the stamp of the Roman Bronze Works. There is also a copy of the accessions book where the bronze bust was given to the library in 1928.
It was so exciting when I was reading about Mr. Bagby’s gift and then reading about Mr. MacNeil and how famous he was. I would love to hear from you and find out if you were aware of this bust.
Thank you so much for your time.
Marian Fretueg
The distinctive signature of the artist on the back of the bust. LincolnRushvilleIL-4.jpg
LincolnRushvilleIL-4.jpg
Dear Marian Fretueg,
Thank you for your kind email and the lovely pictures of Rushville Public Library’s “Lincoln Lawyer” By Hermon Atkins MacNeil. I ask your permission to publicize this work as the Webmaster of HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com
I can tell you are a researcher, because you found my ‘digital museum’ dedicated to the life and work of Hermon A. MacNeil, or as my late mother called him, her “Uncle Hermon”
I would like to visit the Rushville Library to meet you and to photograph this piece for posting on my website. Your piece has its own history in Rushville as a “Land of Lincoln” community with a benefactor donating this beautiful monument to the prairie lawyer who rode the 8 Circuit that covers Rushville and much of Illinois.
To my knowledge eight (8) of these MacNeil Works were cast at Roman Bronze Works (RBW) in New York City. The Rushville piece would appear to be the 5th of the eight that I am able to locate with my website and help from researchers like yourself. As the enclosed link tells the history, the original statue was a Standing Lincoln submitted in about 1924 for a contest of a commission which MacNeil did not win.
About 1928 he had 8 busts cast at RBW using the original Standing Lincoln as his model. Lorado Taft loved the piece and recommended it to the University of Illinois to grace the marble foyer of Lincoln Hall at the university.
The Hall was remodeled about 2010. I have humorous stories in the link below that tell how the Lincoln Lawyer bust was “locked-up” for safe keeping during the 1 year of reconstruction. It was also “kidnapped” by students at one point in the university’s history.
I have 11 different stories (postings) that come up in a search of “Lincoln Lawyer” as I call this piece of MacNeil work. There are 2 pages that come up on this brief search. Click below to see the articles in the search:
Thus began our discussion on this recent discovery.
Thanks to Marian Fretueg and Rushville Public Library, photos of another “Lincoln Lawyer” by Hermon MacNeil has been added to the website.
This accounts for five of the eight castings made at Roman Bronze Works in 1928.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE OF THE STORY of Rushville’s Lincoln to be posted later.
Roman Bronze Works (RBW) of New York City was a casting foundry that made thousands of bronze statues on the 19th and 20th centuries
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Lincoln Hall Revisited ~ 2017~ 6 year Nose Check-up!
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July 21, 2011. The restored bust on display at the Spurlock Museum at University of Illinois. After a thorough cleaning and patina restoration, MacNeil’s Lincoln bust went on public display for one year in the Spurlock Museum. This was the first showing of the piece in full circle — 360 degree visibility.
MacNeil’s Abe Lincoln (above) was cleaned and the patina restored in 2011 when Lincoln Hall was reconstructed for its 100th Anniversary.
After six years back in his old niche in the east foyer entrance of beautiful Lincoln Hall, I was curious about how much wear Lincoln’s “lucky nose” had sustained from student caresses on their way to exams and classes.
So, while traveling to visit family in Kentucky, Virginia, and NC in July 2017, we made opportunity to spend the night in Urbana, Illinois. We turned very appropriately onto “Lincoln Street” off of I-74 and found a motel for the night.
The next morning (Monday, July 31st) we ventured off toward the restored Lincoln Hall on the University of Illinois campus. Wiggling through blocks of summer street construction into Wright Street, we parked and walked toward the Main Quad.
Larado Taft’s Alma Mater
Lorado Taft’s powerful allegorical grouping “Alma Mater” (with Learning and Labor) at the corner of Eighth and Wright Street greeted us. (Taft was the alumnus who recommended MacNeil’s bust of Lincoln over other artists considered for placement in the Hall in 1924.) For More on Taft click HERE
We met an alumnae who had dropped her son off for summer workshops. She asked us to take her picture with the Alma Mater behind her. Turned out she was originally from Beresford, SD and planned to retire in the Black Hills. Small world.
Abe Lincoln’s nose has a well worn shine again. The patina restoration in 2011 has given way to the”petting” and “well wishes of 100’s of hands” seeking blessings from Old Honest Abe.
We walked into the old quadrangle at the center of campus. Walking the brick walks of the lush green lawn. we arrived at the east entrance of Lincoln Hall. We stopped to admire the terra-cotta bas-relief panels placed above the high windows of the building. They depict scenes from the life of the prairie lawyer memorialized in this beautiful hall.
The restored East Foyer of Lincoln Hall with its gilded vaulted ceiling and columns makes a dramatic setting for Hermon A. MacNeil’s bust of Abraham Lincoln as the famed prairie lawyer who left Illinois to lead the nation through the War to preserve the Union and the succession South states.
Entering the East Foyer, we could see the Lincoln bust before us. The magnificent Beaux Arts style of the ceiling formed a vaulted arch spanning above the wings of the white marble stairs and landing. This splendidly restored foyer dominated the life-size bust of our sixteenth President centered on the landing in its gold-leafed niche.
The tradition of touching Lincoln’s nose for “good luck” has passed on to another generation of Illini students since the restoration.
Even from the doorway a “bronze glow” could be glimpsed on Abe Lincoln’s nose. He was wearing his well-worn shine again. As predicted, the brown patina of the 2011 restoration had given way to the”petting” and “well wishes of 100’s of hands” seeking blessings from Old Honest Abe. The tradition has carried on to Lincoln Hall’s second century.
The bronze relief plaque containing the words of the Address at Gettysburg was on our right. The gold gilding of the column capitals and the rosettes in the vaulted arch of the ceiling, gave an inspiring elegance to this hall of remembrance.
In the elegance of this hallowed hall, Abe’s “accessible nose” adds a tactile legacy and fitting tribute to learning in the “Land of Lincoln.”
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Hermon MacNeil Featured in “The Galley”
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Dan Leininger holds the “Galley” for Summer 2014 with MacNeil’s “Pony Express” statue on the cover and an 8 page feature story inside.
“Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil”
The current issue of the Clan MacNeil Association of America magazine has a feature story on Hermon Atkins MacNeil by webmaster, Dan Leininger
The Galley edited by Vicki Sanders Corporon titles Dan’s story as “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil.” The feature and photos fill 8 pages in the “Galley” issue for Spring/Summer 2014.
Ezra Cornell statue at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY was dedicated in 1918 after WWI. Page 19 of the “Galley” (This Photo from Cornell University is Courtesy of Chris Carlsen).
Page 20 of the “Galley” for Summer 2014
The featured photos include the East Pediment of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. (with a detail close-up of Moses, Confucius, and Salon); The George Rogers Clark monument in Vincennes, IN at the site of his victory over the British in 1779; Confederate Defenders of Charleston, SC; the Young Lawyer Abraham Lincoln in Champaign, IL; General George Washington on the Washington Arch, NYC, NY. Also in this article are photos of the grouping Coming of the White Man in Portland, OR; The WWI Angel of Peace Monument in Flushing NY; and a bust of Dwight L. Moody (who MacNeil sketched during the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.
Page 18 of the “Galley” for Summer 2014
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Finishing touches clean the marble niche where MacNeil’s Lincoln bust will greet Illini students in Lincoln Hall
A 1958 photo of lawyer Abe Lincoln (with NO beard) as he appeared at the time of the debates with Senator Stephen Douglas and as MacNeil portrayed him.
Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of self-educated Illinois Lawyer Abe Lincoln was returned to its gloriously restored niche in Lincoln Hall on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana to begin its second century on the Illinois Circuit of higher education.
MacNeil’s standing Lincoln model from the Smithsonian Institute photo archives. The piece was made for a commission competition after 1906.
MacNeil originally sculpted a full length, standing model of the Illinois Lawyer that he later re-sculpted as a bust. From that piece he had Roman Bronze Works make eight castings of his Lincoln Lawyer. In 1928 at the recommendation of Lorado Taft, the University of Illinois purchased this one of the MacNeil sculptures of the younger Lincoln.
In 1929, MacNeil’s work provided an iconic centerpiece for the Grand Stairway foyer of newly designed building. On February 12, 2012, the restored bust was returned to its original niche, in the beautifully renovated Lincoln Hall.
For MORE history on the “Lawyer Lincoln” CLICK HERE
PHOTOS and MORE: The lead photo above and three photos below are from the website of the Lincoln Hall Renovation (CLICK HERE) project at the University of Illinois. They show the re-installation of MacNeil’s work. The University has now completed the $66.4 million dollar restoration (Fact Sheet) of Lincoln Hall. [SEE MORE MacNeil-Lincoln history below the photos]:
MacNeil’s restored bust of young Abe Lincoln was bolted to a marble plate that could be cemented into place.
The work crew of masons set the MacNeil’s Lincoln bust back into the niche at the Grand Staircase of Lincoln Hall
A worker sweeps the marble stairs of Lincoln Hall foyer as photographers get set to record the return of Hermon MacNeil’s bust of young Lawyer Abe Lincoln to its perch where a second century of Illini students will pass by.
Art and museum records locate four of MacNeil’s eight “Lincoln Lawyer” castings. the others “Lincoln Lawyer” busts by MacNeil appear incomplete as follows:
- University of Pennsylvania, Office of the Curator, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Control_Number: 77001611
- Beloit College, Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, Wisconsin – Control_Number: 75008855
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts: Control_Number: 20090014
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 Accession Number: S.1932.4 Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum ~ SIRIS
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Lorado Taft offered praise for ‘promising Native works’ of Hermon Atkins MacNeil in 1903
Posted by: | CommentsIn the early 1900s, because of his knowledge and authorship on American Sculpture, Lorado Taft was referred to by many as ‘the Dean of American Sculpture.’ He offered early praise for Hermon Atkins MacNeil. His admiration of MacNeil’s work continued into the 1920s when he recommended MacNeil’s “Lawyer Lincoln” bust to the University Of Illinois to grace the spiral entry foyer of Lincoln Hall.
In Chapter XXIII of his volume “THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN SCULPTURE” (originally published in 1903), Taft offers the following praise of the young MacNeil:
THE YOUNGER GENERATION IN NEW YORK
The opening twentieth century brings before us a group of young sculptors equipped by nature and by training as in the past few Americans have been. …
One of the most promising of this number is Hermon A. MacNeil. …
Marquette Panel #4 (detail)
Well equipped with the training which the Parisian studios give, Mr. MacNeil was early discontented with the banality of modern sculptural themes. The makeshift subjects of his comrades seemed to him unworthy. He wanted to do things more original and more truly expressive. Western life and the Indian had for him a great appeal, and he made several trips to the redman’s reservations north and west, in order to study what he considered the most sculptural motifs which America offers.
His reliefs over the doors of the Marquette building in Chicago — scenes of the life and death [ p. 437 > p. 438 ] of Pere Marquette — show to what good use he put his material. He was wont to talk of the artistic possibilities of the Indian in sculpture with an enthusiasm that was eloquent if not always convincing. To him they were as fine as Greek warriors and as worthy to be immortalized. …
More of Taft’s critique on H. A. MacNeil will be offered in upcoming postings on HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com.
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Happy Birthday! ~ Hermon A. MacNeil from Mr. Lincoln of Illinois ~ MacNeil Month 2012
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Hermon MacNeil's sculpture of Abe Lincoln wears a 'Happy Birthday' Hat
Abe Lincoln is helping celebrate Hermon A. MacNeil’s birthday on February 27th of this week. The sculptor was born in 1866 in Chelsea, Mass nearly ten months after Mr. Lincoln was assassinated.
Actually, the statue’s festive hat shown here was for the 100th birthday of the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois where the restored sculpture has been displayed for the last year.
This week the Abe Lincoln will be moved by university officials (not the Statue Liberation Society as in 1979 – CLICK HERE). After March 1st the bust will be set into place in the refurbished Lincoln Hall.
Only three days remain to see the restored statue of Abraham Lincoln in-the-round, the way Hermon MacNeil sculpted it.
A visit to Illinois last week included a stop at the Abe Lincoln bust at Spurlock Museum at U of I. The sculpture will no longer be viewable in-the-round after being returned to its permanent home in the sparklingly-restored Lincoln Hall on campus.
MacNeil’s Abe Lincoln bust of the clean-shaven Illinois lawyer, senator and orator has become a beloved icon of Campus history. The MacNeil work of Lincoln will continue to greet students, visitors and staff from central prominence in the spiral stairway. It gives dramatic focus to the Main Entrance of the Hall named for this favorite son.
The relocation will add the ‘crowning’ touch to the Main Lobby. Once again, MacNeil’s ‘Lawyer Lincoln’ will look out from his perch in the circular stairwell.
In traveling through Champaign-Urbana, the Spurlock Museum was open last Saturday. I made some poor-quality video of the statue in its 360 degree perspective and viewed again the MacNeil signature and ‘Roman Bronze Works’ marking on the rear of the piece.
MacNeil’s Lincoln, unlike most sculptures of him, is the ‘Lawyer Lincoln.’ Mr. Lincoln’s thirty-years in Illinois were the formative experiences that prepared him to be the statesman and leader of world-renown that he became as U.S. President during the preservation of the Union. (See the Feb 12th posting below)
The Lincoln bust will no longer be viewable in~the~round after this week.
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“Abe Lincoln” of Illinois ~ See MacNeil’s sculpture ‘in-the-round’ ~ MacNeil Month 2012
Posted by: | CommentsTime is running out to see the refurbished Abraham Lincoln statue in-the-round, the way Hermon MacNeil sculpted it.
MacNeil's Lincoln bust is beautifully restored on public display in the Spurlock Museum
We are told that the Spurlock Museum’s exhibit may end this spring or early summer. The restored piece by Hermon A. MacNeil will return to the pristinely resurrected Lincoln Hall. The relocation awaits the completion of the Main Lobby of the newly refurbished Hall.
Once again, MacNeil’s ‘Lawyer Lincoln’ will returned to his perch in the niche of the circular stairway.
Last time I traveled through Champaign, the Spurlock Museum was closed for the Christmas-New Year holidays. I wanted to video the statue in its 360 degree perspective and rephotograph the MacNeil signature and ‘Roman Bronze Works’ marking on the rear of the piece.
MacNeil’s Lincoln, unlike most sculptures of him, is the ‘Lawyer Lincoln.’ He is clean-shaven, no beard, no ‘Mr. President Lincoln.’
This is THE Abe Lincoln of the ‘Land of Lincoln:’
- Who came to Macon County in 1830 and build his father’s cabin.
- Who would live in Illinois for the next 30 years.
- Who settled in New Salem in 1831 to manage the mill.
- Who volunteered with the Sangamon County company going to the Indian war in 1832.
- Who returned to be appointed Postmaster of New Salem.
- Who was elected to the State Legislature in 1834, 1836, 1838 and 1840.
- Who courted Ann Rutledge, who died of ‘brain fever’ in 1835.
- Who moved to the new Capitol in Springfield in 1837 to enter the practice of LAW with John T. Stuart.
- Who Married Mary Todd of Kentucky in 1842.
- Who was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1848.
- Who traveled from Springfield by horseback across the County Seats of the Illinois Eighth Circuit Court.
- Who argued over 5000 cases ranging from murder to boundary disputes
- Who spoke in a simple and straightforward manner understandable by any farmer or citizen on the jury.
- Whose quaint, homely stories were often filled with wit and humor and that made the point clearly.
- Who campaigned for the the US Senate denouncing Stephen Douglas’ “popular sovereignty” doctrine.
- Who received 110 ballots for nomination as Vice-President at the 1856 Republican National Convention.
- Who delivered his “House Divided” speech at the Republican State convention of 1858.
- Who challenged his opponent, Stephen Douglas, to seven debates across the state of Illinois in the 1858 Senatorial campaign.
- Who from 1858 to 1860 made speeches throughout many states defining the Republican Party’s position.
- Who won the Republican Party nomination and was elected President of the United States in 1860.
- Who left Illinois after 30 years to seek to keep those same States “United.”
- Whose body was returned to Illinois in 1865 for entombment in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield”
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Hermon A. MacNeil's "Lincoln Lawyer" at the University of Illinois
- “Now he belongs to the Ages”
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MacNeil’s “Lincoln Lawyer” Bust modeled from Standing Lincoln
Posted by: | CommentsAs mentioned in the previous post of July 22, the Lincoln Hall statue at University of Illinois was cast from a standing Lincoln original plaster sculpture. The Smithsonian Institute archives contain a photo of that piece on right. [or CLICK HERE]
The Smithsonian Institute archives contain this photo of MacNeil’s Lincoln standing.
MacNeil’s “Lincoln Lawyer” from U of I’s Lincoln Hall was modeled from the larger standing Lincoln plaster original
Note the folded arms, the papers in the right hand, and the young clean-shaven Lawyer Lincoln. The resemblance of the Lincoln Hall figure (left) to the Smithsonian photo (right) is apparent (even in the reduced images seen here).
MacNeil’s original plaster statue of Lincoln (standing) very likely has been lost to the ages. He sculpted it in 1914 for a competition of the Art Commission of Illinois. They sought a statue for the City of Springfield. After the commission chose another sculpture, MacNeil worked with Roman Bronze Works to cast 8 Lincoln busts from the original standing Lincoln.
The original may have been destroyed, or more probably, was stored in Roman Bronze Works (RBW) warehouse . There it would have been subject to the foundry activities, moves, changes and decay of that facility’s history over the past 100 years since MacNeil created the fragile plaster Lawyer Lincoln. (Many renowned sculptors desired the “lost wax” method of casting which RBW made available in the U.S. ) During the thirty years from 1897 to 1927, Roman Bronze Works resided in New York City. The story of RBW after 1927 seems a bit more complicated:
Roman Bronze Works in New York City, established in 1897 by Ricardo Bertelli, was the pre-eminent sculpture bronze foundry in the United States during the American Renaissance. It continued to cast sculpture after that period ended. Its foundry, long a sub-contractor to Louis Comfort Tiffany‘s Tiffany Studios, moved to Tiffany’s Corona, New York, red brick factory in 1927.[1] …
Roman Bronze Works, which made Tiffany’s bronze accessories and lamp bases, moved to Tiffany’s Corona facility in 1927. Roman Bronze Works was purchased in 1946 by Salvatore Schiavo, whose father had been working at the foundry since 1902. His nephew, Philip J. Schiavo, the grandson of the first Schiavo, was the president of the foundry until its closing.[4]
Roman Bronze Works 1890s New York City
After the foundry closed, an auction was staged of original plaster models of major works by American artists, Frederic Remington, Daniel Chester French, Charles Russell, Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Anna Hyatt Huntington, in New York, 17 September 1988.[5] Some of the molds were moved to warehouse space in Copiague, New York, under the aegis of American Art Restoration, Inc..[6] Fortunately the business archives were preserved and are now at the Amon Carter Museum Library, Fort Worth, Texas.[7]In addition, the foundry has recently been reopened as Roman Bronze Studios by Brain Ramnarine who apprenticed and worked at Roman Bronze Works with Salvatore and Philip Schiavo. (Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Bronze_Works )
Whether MacNeil’s original plaster model of the standing Lincoln was transported in the 1927 move, or was part of the ownership transfer of 1946 (the year before MacNeil died), or was sold in the 1988 auction of American artists has yet to be documented by this researcher. Perhaps, it was destroyed after the eight busts were cast. Though no recored of that is found either.
[A 2002 book devoted to Roman Bronze Works, by Lucy D. Rosenfeld, A Century of American Sculpture The Roman Bronze Works Foundry bears a photo of MacNeil’s “Sun Vow” on the cover. Rosenfeld used the firm’s ledgers and archival photographs now stored at the Amon Carter Museum. This volume warrants future investigation].
LINCOLN BUST FACTS:
- The bust in Urbana was placed in Lincoln Hall in 1929.
- This procurement suggested by Lorado Taft occurred fifteen years after the original sculpture was made.
- The University of Illinois “Lincoln Lawyer” is the only one of MacNeil’s Lincoln busts pictured on this website,
- It is the only one ever seen by this author,
- It remains the only one readily found by web searching in general.
- It is a truly beautiful piece that is now restored to its original patina and brilliance.
Art and museum records locate four of MacNeil’s eight “Lincoln Lawyer” castings. the others “Lincoln Lawyer” busts by MacNeil appear incomplete as follows:
- University of Pennsylvania, Office of the Curator, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Control_Number: 77001611
- Beloit College, Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, Wisconsin – Control_Number: 75008855
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts: Control_Number: 20090014
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 Accession Number: S.1932.4
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum ~ SIRIS
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MacNeil’s “Lawyer Lincoln” at Spurlock Museum
Posted by: | CommentsThis past Friday I stopped at Spurlock Museum on the University of Illinois campus to see the newly refurbished bust of Abraham Lincoln that will return to the renovated Lincoln Hall in 2012.
Holly Koreb, Senior Director, and Dave Evensen, both from the Office of Communications and Marketing at U of I’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, met me at the museum for a guided viewing and photos. She sent the photo of me and Abe added below. That is Abe on the left. Thanks, Holly!
(And BTW, Hermon A. MacNeil was my 1st Cousin twice removed. But since he considered himself my mother’s Uncle Hermon and I think he was Great, I now consider him my Great Uncle Hermon.) Back to the Lawyer Lincoln statue …
Beautifully restored and on public display at the Spurlock Museum. “H. A. MacNeil” is the signature on the left hand side of this Lincoln Bust. “Roman Bronze Works” is the foundry mark in small letters on the left rear corner
Examining MacNeil’s creation up close was a true thrill. The restoration is beautifully done. The rich brown patina gives the piece a radiance that has not been seen in half a century or more.
Webmaster Dan Leininger visited the Spurlock exhibit of MacNeil’s restored Lincoln Bust last week. (Tour and Photo courtesy of Holly Koreb).
The chance to find and record the MacNeil signature and foundry markings (see below) were a rare treat that will prove impossible in the bust’s niche at Lincoln Hall.
The display panel at the Spurlock states, in part:
The bust, by Hermon A. MacNeil, depicts Lincoln as a young lawyer with his arms folded holding a legal document in his right hand. It was based on a full figured piece that MacNeil had submitted to the Art Commission of Illinois in a 1914 competition seeking a statue for the city of Springfield.
Although the design was not chosen, MacNeil cast eight busts from the upper part of the sculpture. In this special exhibit it is possible for the first time to view the bust outside its niche. You can see MacNeil’s fine work from all sides before it is returned to Lincoln Hall in 2012.
Lincoln the Lawyer , as depicted in Macneil’s sculpture, is one the least known aspects of this great American, BUT probably the BEST place to appreciate his skills, character and talents as a human being. A segment of an article from American History Magazine tells the ‘Lawyer – Lincoln’ story in this way:
Abraham Lincoln spent only four of his 56 years as president of the United States. Yet, given the importance of the events that marked his 1861-65 term of office, the nation’s admiration for him as a man of courage and principle, and the abundance of photographic images that recorded his presidency, it is hard for most people to think of him as anything else. But there were other facets to the career of this man who led the nation through the Civil War years. Prior to his presidency, Lincoln honed his political skills and aspirations through the practice of law.
“The bulk of Lincoln’s courtroom work took place away from Springfield as he traveled twice a year with the presiding judge and fellow lawyers to the county seats of Illinois’ Eighth Circuit Court. Since most of those who served on the juries in these small towns were farmers and other country folk, Lincoln–himself a product of a rural environment and by nature a slow talker–recognized the need to argue his cases in the simplest and most straightforward manner. As one observer noted, ‘his illustrations were often quaint and homely, but always clear and apt, and generally conclusive. . . . His wit and humor and inexhaustible store of anecdotes, always to the point, added immensely to his powers as a jury advocate.'” (Abraham Lincoln: The Lawyer. American History | Published: June 12, 2006 at 8:02 pm. CLICK HERE to see entire article )
History records that Abraham Lincoln traveled the Eighth Circuit of Illinois for nearly a quarter of a century. He stood and spoke to citizens in courtrooms involving over 5000 cases ranging from sensational murder cases to the less glamorous issues of property ownership. (Adapted from David Wiegers, Gurnee, Illinois in his comments on Larado Taft’s standing Lincoln statue in Urbana, Illinois )
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 Accession Number: S.1932.4
- University of Pennsylvania, Office of the Curator, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Control_Number: 77001611
- Beloit College, Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, Wisconsin – Control_Number: 75008855
- Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts: Control_Number: 20090014
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum ~ SIRIS
For an archive of Lincoln Bust postings click here:
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/category/location/illinois/university-of-illinois/
Related posts:
- “Honest Abe” On Public Display ~ MacNeil Month #7 (15.4) At the University of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln has been released…
- Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! ~ MacNeil’s Sculpture Released from Vault ~ MacNeil Month #4 (14.3)Abe Lincoln will be a little late for his 202nd…
- MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault (13.5) Hermon Atkins MacNeil would probably be amused to know that…
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Disappearance of Lincoln Bust Solved ~ 30 years later
Posted by: | CommentsHermon MacNeil’s bust of Abe Lincoln DID NOT go out for a walk in 1979. It WAS KIDNAPPED! [Since the bust has no legs, we thought the original “walk and fresh air” story was bogus in the first place.]
Holly Koreb, Senior Director, of the Office of Communications and Marketing at U of I’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, confirmed our suspicions in a message today. She has informed us (within the hour) that a public confession has been posted in audio on the LAS website. [ www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu/storyography ]
Artist's rendition of the NEW Security system for Lincoln bust! Looks rather flimsy from here.
The anonymous culprit ‘claims’ to be a member of a group of ‘supposed’ pre-professionals who eventually formed themselves into the notorious Statue Liberation Society (hereafter the ‘S.L.S.’).
This student, now an alumnus, garbles on for 7 minutes and 22 seconds [ in a disguised voice] about a harmless prank that resulted in the kidnapping of the 16th President from his prominent perch in the circular stairwell of Lincoln Hall.
The disguised culprit, now in his seeming mid-life repose, says in part: “We alerted University police [of the bust’s whereabouts], and certainly we were not responsible for any damage or any scratches that appeared later.” —anonymous member of the Statue Liberation Society
This statement of ‘non-responsibility’ emits fumes of self-satisfaction, deception and a possible lack of understanding of “good clean fun”. (While we will defer to qualified historians of Illini lore for details on this organization, it does seem to be a post-incident fabrication to cover pranks that escalated to grand theft – not to mention the heinous act of kidnapping of a dead president.)
But in a conciliatory effort to NOT rub S.L.S. ‘noses’ in their infamous-hidden past, but to offer instead, a ‘fresh’ renovation to student life, we at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com propose:
- That the Statue Liberation Society (S.L.S.) anonymously raise a challenge-reparation of $50,000 to be contributed to the existing ‘Lincoln Hall Scholarship Fund’.
- That these donations be met and exceeded by matching gifts from the faculty, staff, alumni and students of U of I.
- That the S.L.S. then be invited to shed their cloak of anonymity in a true ‘Lincoln-Douglas’ style of honesty.
- And that a spirit of ‘New Beginning’ be initiated by all parties with a rub of Lincoln’s refurbished nose in his new perch at the dedication of the new Lincoln Hall.
We think even our ‘UNCLE HERMON’ would smile at a ‘prank’ like that. 😆
Good Clean Fun for the next student generation! 
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Hermon MacNeil’s “Abraham Lincoln” Restored: See Abe on Video! Honest!
Posted by: | Comments“Looking Good, Mr. Lincoln! The Lincoln Bust Gets Restored”
The University of Illinois has sent MacNeil’s “Abe Lincoln” to Chicago for 3 month for a restoration of the statue’s patina original. Now the bust is on display at the Spurlock Museum.
The webmaster of HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com gets a 20 second voice-over (2:40 to 3:00 min.) in this video. Our webmaster is a bit tongue-tied, but he is quite sincere.
For the whole story of this “Land of Lincoln,” “Love of Lincoln,” “Lincoln Lore” saga, CHECK out these previous posts on the topic:
Related posts:
- “Honest Abe” On Public Display ~ MacNeil Month #7 (15.4) At the University of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln has been released…
- Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! ~ MacNeil’s Sculpture Released from Vault ~ MacNeil Month #4 (14.3) Abe Lincoln will be a little late for his 202nd…
- MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault (13.5) Hermon Atkins MacNeil would probably be amused to know that…
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“Honest Abe” On Public Display ~ MacNeil Month #7
Posted by: | CommentsAt the University of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln has been released from the vault. He is out for public view.
A Nose Waiting to Be Rubbed « 2011 « Articles « LASNews Magazine ... Herman Atkins MacNeil modeled the bust in 1928 from a full-size statue he had made 14 years earlier. He gave the bronze bust a brown patina, which had worn ... www.las.uiuc.edu/alumni/magazine/articles/2011/bust/
No, this is not a student prank (like the 1979 Illini Incident) when the MacNeil’s Lincoln Statue disappeared. This time its actually a year-long Lincoln party.
Starting at noon on Sunday February 20th, the refurbished Lincoln bust by Hermon A. MacNeil will be on public exhibit in the Spurlock Museum at U of I.
In a recent email Dr. Wayne T. Pitard, Director, of Spurlock Museum, told us:
“Having had the chance to look at the bust in great detail, I am enormously impressed with MacNeil’s talent. It is a wonderful piece, one of my favorite depictions of Lincoln. I wanted to let you know that during its exhibition at the Spurlock between February 20 and January of next year, people will have the only chance in our lifetimes to actually walk all the way around the bust, to see it from all angles. Once it goes back into its niche in Lincoln Hall, the back will no longer be accessible. If you ever are in the neighborhood, you should try to come by and see it here.”
MacNeil’s Lincoln has graced the Lincoln Hall stair case since 1928. It was removed for safekeeping in a vault when construction began on a total restoration of Lincoln Hall. The empty niche that the statue normally occupies is visible in this video of the Lincoln Hall Kick Off Ceremony (the miniature bust of Lincoln seen here is NOT one of the MacNeil sculpture, but of another artist.) For the next year it will be in Spurlock for viewing in a 360 degree venue, unlike the setting shown above before restoration. The Public can celebrate MacNeil’s Lincoln Statue at the Spurlock all year.
Holly Korab, (Senior Director in the Office of Communications and Marketing, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) informed the webmaster this week that:
Mr. MacNeil’s statue is dear to many generations of Illini. We are working on a video for our “This Old Hall” series on the restoration of Lincoln Hall. (Holly, I hope the video has a 360 scene of the statue as it appears on display in Spurlock ~ webmaster). Do you know how Mr. MacNeil felt about our statue?
Gutzon Borglum's famous Lincoln also has a shiny nose from public petting of the piece in Springfield, Illinois.
Well Holly, we do know how MacNeil’s friend and teacher, Lorado Taft, felt about the piece. Taft was considered the ‘dean of American sculptors’ (especially in the Beaux Arts tradition). He worked with MacNeil in the 1893 Columbian Exposition — the Chicago World’s Fair. Carol Brooks, who was one of Taft’s students, would become Herman’s wife in 1895. She helped Taft as one of the female sculptors known as “White Rabbits.” Through the thirty years since that Exposition, Taft knew the MacNeils and their artistic abilities. Perhaps this influenced Taft’s choice of the Mac Neil Statue over that of Gutzon Borglum, yet he knew and worked with Borglum as well. He just seemed to not like the overall effect of the Borglum piece. You can compare for yourself the two Lincolns (superficially, at least) from the photos provided here. More directly Taft stated:
“I regret to say that Borglum’s so called ‘Lincoln’ is my pet aversion; I would prefer not to help in this matter,”
In his book Modern Tendencies in Sculpture, Taft shares his expectation of good sculpture. In the preface, he states:
“SCULPTURE SHOULD BE THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL OF THE ARTS. IT SHOULD EXTERNALIZE ONLY THE RAREST AND THE MOST ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS OF LIFE, CHOOSING WITH IRREPROACHABLE DISCRIMINATION FROM THE FORMS, THE JOYS AND THE SORROWS OF HUMANITY. A SCULPTED MOMENT WHICH IS NOT ADMIRABLE IS A PERMANENT CRIME, A PERSISTENT AND INEXCUSABLE OBSESSION.” Lorado Taft, Modern Tendencies in Sculpture, University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1921. p. 9.
Further in the book Taft, lauds MacNeil’s work on his Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Albany and the Washington Arch in NY by saying MacNeil showed:
“his good taste united with a fine decorative sense and with much fluency of handling”… Running through all these works is a dependable sanity most gratifying to meet amid the eccentricities and vagaries of current endeavor. The sculptor has never exemplified this quality to better advantage than in his fine “Lincoln” model, a work meriting enlargement and a prominent place.” Lorado Taft, Modern Tendencies in Sculpture, University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1921. p. 120.
In 1923, Taft, recommended MacNeil to James White, the University supervising architect, for the Lincoln Hall placement. Taft’s friend, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, created a bust of Lincoln that the University purchased for $450. http://www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu/history/lincolnhall/entrance/index.html
How did MacNeil feel about his Lincoln statue?
I can’t answer that directly, but MacNeil expressed his thoughts and feelings about the sculptor’s task in 1917. At the annual meeting of the American Federation of Arts, MacNeil spoke of the progress of contemporary sculpture.
“Above all else, [the artist’s] work must radiate some charm or strength of human character that touches the passer by.”
Errant Bronzes: George Grey Barnard’s Statues of Abraham Lincoln (American Arts Series/University of Delaware Press Books) by Frederick C. Moffatt (2000), p. 129.
He went on to suggest that this radiated art spirit, had to be discovered in the hearts of the observers of the piece.
I know myself, from reading other accounts of MacNeil describing his Marquette, Jolliet, Illini grouping in Douglas Park Chicago, and his Ezra Cornell statue at Ithica, New York, that this art spirit radiated in MacNeil himself as he planned, prepared and sculpted these works. His heart went into and radiated from each of his sculptures and memorials. Studying the details he put in them, reveals that to me. Now the public can assess that at the Spurlock.
SO, Enjoy, Celebrate, and MacNeil’s Lincoln, The Lawyer. May you anticipate the 2013 re-dedication of Lincoln Hall as your 21st Century tribute to Mr. Lincoln.
MORE LINCOLN LORE:
Lincoln/net Website: by Northern Illinois University – browse primary resource materials about our 16th President. http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/aboutinfo.html
VISIT SPURLOCK MUSEUM – here’s a Google Map
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Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! ~ MacNeil’s Sculpture Released from Vault ~ MacNeil Month #4
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MacNeil's 1915 "Lincoln" in Lincoln Hall
Abe Lincoln will be a little late for his 202nd Birthday (Feb 12th), but he will be early for Hermon MacNeil’s 145th birthday (Feb 27th).
University of Illinois officials will bring Hermon MacNeil’s bust of Old Abe out of “safe-keeping” to be displayed in Spurlock Museum starting at 1pm on Sunday February 20, 2011.
MacNeil's 1915 "Lincoln" in Lincoln Hall
Illini news sources bill the event as “A Nose Waiting to Be Rubbed.”
A refurbished Lincoln bust will make a guest appearance at the Spurlock Museum. Who will be the first to rub Lincoln’s nose? The doors to the Spurlock Museum open at 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 20, 2011.
Fans of the Lincoln bust in Lincoln Hall won’t have to wait until the building reopens in 2012 to rub its nose for luck. Beginning on February 20, the restored bust will greet visitors to U of I’s Spurlock Museum. The display will afford visitors a rare 360-degree view of the bust and will also offer the chance to restart an old tradition.
Source: LAS News http://www.las.illinois.edu/alumni/magazine/articles/2011/bust/
A Nose Waiting to Be Rubbed « 2011 « Articles « LASNews Magazine ... Herman Atkins MacNeil modeled the bust in 1928 from a full-size statue he had made 14 years earlier. He gave the bronze bust a brown patina, which had worn ... www.las.uiuc.edu/alumni/magazine/articles/2011/bust/
We at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com are pleased that our favorite sculptor’s bust of Lincoln will see the light of day and be out for Public review. We appreciate the care taken to protect this artwork during the renovation of Lincoln Hall on the Urbana Campus. For updates on the restoration go to: Lincoln Hall Project Website:
Previous Post: May 24, 2010 MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault
For a Series of All of our U of I – Lincoln Hall Posts see: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/category/location/illinois/university-of-illinois/
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MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault
Posted by: | CommentsHermon Atkins MacNeil would probably be amused to know that his bronze sculpture bust of Lincoln which sold for $450 to the University of Illinois, now rests in their walk-in vault. They do not fear theft, though to be honest, ‘Abe’ did himself go out for a brief walk in 1979 when the bust mysteriously disappeared. At that time, a note sent to the Daily Illini read, in part, “Gone out for a breath of fresh air. I’ll be back by the end of the week.”
Thanks to public vigilance, the bust was sighted and recovered from a tree stump at the former University golf course on Florida Avenue. (Some believe that to be the first documented incident of Mr. Lincoln strolling to a golf course which is now a much more commonly accepted behavior for Presidents).
Unlike the 1979 prankster incident, the present hijacking of Mr Lincoln seeks to insure his safekeeping as an art object during the $65 million-dollar restoration project of Lincoln Hall to be completed in 2012. For the most part, the 125-pound bronze sculpture does not normally move under its own power and tends to stay in one place. That place, a prominent perch recessed between the twin spiral staircases, graces the marbled east foyer entrance of historic Lincoln Hall.
Dave Evensen, of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “News” states:
Historic Lincoln Hall is home to a MacNeil bust of Abe Lincoln
“The bronze bust is one of eight created in 1915 by sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil. According to John Hoffman, curator of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections at the University, MacNeil modeled them off a statue he created for a contest in Springfield, Ill. … Details on the whereabouts of the other busts are scarce. According to the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog, three others are located at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Beloit College Wright Museum of Art, and Amherst College Mead Art Museum. Otherwise, the locations of the others are unknown—although they have not necessarily vanished. The Smithsonian, for example, does not list Lincoln Hall as the location for one of the busts.”
James Spese, U of I’s Facilities & Service project manager for Lincoln Hall, (unlike the 1979 pranksters) publicly admits that he had the bust moved in 2009 to protect it from damage during the roughly $65 million restoration project. (Thank You, James. Uncle Hermon would have approve!) It will be returned to its proper spot when the work is complete in 2012. The renovations will include reestablishing the original lighting that spotlighted the bust. The MacNeil creation, a longtime favorite of students, has its bronze nose polished from many years of good-luck pats from students as they pass by.
The original selection of the MacNeil work to be showcased in Lincoln dates back to Lorado Taft, who recommended it to the University over a copy of the Gutzon Borglum sculpture in the US Capitol rotunda. Taft commented that central in MacNeil’s work is “a dependable sanity most gratifying to meet amid the eccentricities and vagaries of curent endeavor.”
Muriel Scheinman in her Guide to Art at University of Illinios (pp. 42) describes the work as follows: “Lincoln’s expression is contemplative in this gentle, very appealing sculpture. An air of intimacy as well as tension is created by the tightly folded arms, which rest on a simple rectangular plinth, while the hand clutching a document suggests something of a troubled inner conflict.”
Thank you University of Illinois for the preservation of Lincoln Hall and this sculpture of our favorite artist, Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
D. Neil Leininger, webmaster
