Alexander Milne Calder
American sculptor (1846–1923) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American sculptor (1846–1923) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Milne Calder (August 23, 1846 – June 4, 1923) (MILL-nee) was a Scottish American sculptor best known for the architectural sculpture of Philadelphia City Hall.[1] Both his son, Alexander Stirling Calder, and grandson, Alexander Calder, became significant sculptors in the 20th century.
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Alexander Milne Calder | |
|---|---|
A Tacony Iron Works employee with the head of Calder's statue of William Penn in 1894; the statue now stands atop Philadelphia City Hall | |
| Born | August 23, 1846 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | June 4, 1923 (aged 76) Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | West Laurel Hill Cemetery (Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S.) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts |
| Known for | Sculpture |
Calder was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of a tombstone carver.[2] He attended the Royal Academy in Edinburgh during which he worked for sculptor John Rhind, the father of sculptor J. Massey Rhind. Calder then moved to London, where he worked on the Albert Memorial. In 1868, he emigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, where he studied with Joseph A. Bailly and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1873, he was hired by architect John McArthur Jr., to produce models for the sculptures adorning Philadelphia City Hall. The commission required more than 250 marble and bronze pieces and took Calder twenty years to complete. That same year, Calder was commissioned by the forerunner of Philadelphia's current Association for Public Art, the Fairmount Park Art Association, to create an equestrian statue of Major General George Gordon Meade for Fairmount Park. Then in 1875, he won the competition for the colossal (37 foot tall) bronze statue of William Penn that was to crown the new City Hall's tower. That portrait sculpture remains to this day the largest atop any building in the world.[3][4][5]
Calder is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb.
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