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Clark Mills (sculptor)
Encyclopedia
Clark Mills was an American sculptor, best known for three versions of an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson
, located in Washington, D.C.
, Nashville, Tennessee
, and New Orleans, Louisiana
.
, in Charleston, South Carolina
, and Washington, D.C.
He had three sons; he remarried and had a step-daughter.
There was some dispute over his will.
's head. It is generally felt to be inferior in technical quality to the 1860 cast made by Leonard Volk
, but has the advantage of showing Lincoln's entire skull, not just the face as does Volk's.
One of Mills' works is located in President's Park
, also known as Lafayette Square
, which is situated on the north portico side of the White House
. The statue of Andrew Jackson
was unveiled January 8, 1853. It was a Saturday on the 38th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans
, and according to an account by a reporter for the Washington Union, twenty thousand people attended in and around the park. Senator Stephen A. Douglas
was the keynote speaker at the unveiling. There are two other castings in New Orleans, and Nashville, Tennessee
.
Beginning in 1860, the Statue of Freedom
, which sits atop the United States Capitol
, was cast in five main sections by Mills, whose bronze foundry was located on the outskirts of Washington.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Life
He had a studioClark Mills Studio
Clark Mills Studio was the studio of self-taught sculptor Clark Mills, who created the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square in Washington, D. C....
, in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He had three sons; he remarried and had a step-daughter.
There was some dispute over his will.
Works
In 1865 Mills made a life-cast of Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's head. It is generally felt to be inferior in technical quality to the 1860 cast made by Leonard Volk
Leonard Volk
Leonard Wells Volk was an American sculptor. He is notable for making one of only two life masks of United States President Abraham Lincoln. In 1857 he helped establish the Chicago Academy of Design and served as its president until 1865. He made several large monumental sculptures, including the...
, but has the advantage of showing Lincoln's entire skull, not just the face as does Volk's.
One of Mills' works is located in President's Park
President's Park
President's Park, located in Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House, a visitor center, Lafayette Square, and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Square. The current President's Park is administered by the National Park Service.-White House:Washington, D.C...
, also known as Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square may refer to a place in the United States:*Lafayette Square, Los Angeles, California, a neighborhood in the mid-city section of L.A.*Lafayette Square, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the Central Business District*Lafayette Square, St...
, which is situated on the north portico side of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The statue of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (Mills)
Andrew Jackson is an equestrian statue by Clark Mills in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.It was commissioned in May 1847, cast in 1852, and dedicated on January 8, 1853, by Stephen A...
was unveiled January 8, 1853. It was a Saturday on the 38th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
, and according to an account by a reporter for the Washington Union, twenty thousand people attended in and around the park. Senator Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
was the keynote speaker at the unveiling. There are two other castings in New Orleans, and Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Beginning in 1860, the Statue of Freedom
Statue of Freedom
The Statue of Freedom — also known as Armed Freedom or simply Freedom — is a bronze statue designed by Thomas Crawford that, since 1863, has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. Originally named Freedom Triumphant in War and Peace, official U.S...
, which sits atop the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, was cast in five main sections by Mills, whose bronze foundry was located on the outskirts of Washington.
Sources
- Meacham, JonJon MeachamJon Meacham is executive editor and executive vice president at Random House. A former editor of Newsweek and a Pulitzer Prize winning bestselling author and a commentator on politics, history, and religious faith in America, he is a contributing editor to Time magazine and editor-at-large of WNET...
. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White HouseAmerican Lion (book)American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House is a 2008 biography by Jon Meacham of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States. It won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography....
. 2008. - Charles Colbert, "Clark Mills and the Phrenologist", The Art Bulletin, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Mar., 1988), pp. 134-137