Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Augustus was a man who made art.

He used stone and metal to make it. He made big statues of famous heroes.

Some of his statues still stand in parks today. He also made very pretty gold coins.

He worked hard to make them look good. People still love his work today.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a famous American sculptor.

He was born in Dublin, Ireland. His family moved to New York City when he was a baby. He studied art in Paris and Rome. Later, he became known for making grand statues.

He made many memorials for heroes of the Civil War. One famous work is the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. He worked on this piece for 14 years.

He also made a large statue of Abraham Lincoln. Many people called it a fine portrait. He made big statues of generals on horses, too.

Saint-Gaudens also worked on small art. He designed beautiful gold coins for the U.S. Mint. His $20 gold coin is called a double eagle. Many people think it is a very pretty coin.

He also made a statue of a goddess named Diana. He made a beautiful angel called Amor Caritas. This work won a big prize in Paris. He was a great teacher to many young artists.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a famous American sculptor.

He lived during a time called the American Renaissance. This was a period when people valued grand art. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1848. His family moved to New York City when he was very young. He became a master at making shapes out of stone and bronze. His work helped define how Americans remembered their history.

Making these large statues was a very slow job. Saint-Gaudens often worked on one piece for many years. For the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, he worked for 14 years.

He used models to make sure his shapes were right. He even used a pointing device to help make large statues. This tool helped him make very accurate mechanical enlargements. He worked with many assistants to finish these huge tasks. His studio was a busy place for learning and creating.

He studied art in several famous places in Europe. He was an apprentice to a cameo-cutter in New York first. Then he traveled to Paris in 1867 to study. He went to the École des Beaux-Arts to learn more. Later, he moved to Rome to study art and architecture. In Rome, he met Augusta Fisher Homer, who became his wife. They married in 1877 and had a son named Homer.

Saint-Gaudens created many different kinds of famous art. He made a large statue of Abraham Lincoln in Chicago.

He also made grand statues of generals on horses. One was for General John Logan in Chicago's Grant Park. Another was for General William Tecumseh Sherman in New York. He even designed beautiful gold coins for the U.S. Mint. His $20 double eagle coin is seen as very beautiful.

His work connects to many parts of our daily lives. You might see his statues in big city parks today. You can even find his art in many museums. He was a great teacher to many young artists. He helped start the Cornish Colony in New Hampshire. This was a special place for painters and writers to live. His many students went on to become famous sculptors too.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a premier American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation.

He embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance, a period of grand artistic achievement. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1848, he was raised in New York City. His work helped define how the United States commemorated its history through public monuments. He was a master of bronze and stone, creating pieces that ranged from small medals to massive statues. His influence extended through his teaching and his role in founding artistic communities.

Saint-Gaudens followed a rigorous path to master his craft. He began as an apprentice to a cameo-cutter, a person who carves small, detailed images. He also took evening art classes at the Cooper Union in New York City. After completing his apprenticeships, he traveled to Paris in 1867 to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. He later moved to Rome to study art and architecture. In Rome, he met Augusta Fisher Homer, a deaf American art student. They married in 1877 and had a son named Homer.

The process of creating his large-scale works was complex and required precision. For his equestrian monuments, such as the one for General William Tecumseh Sherman, he used a pointing device. This tool allowed for the accurate mechanical enlargement of sculpture models. This meant he could take a small model and turn it into a massive statue. He often worked with many assistants to manage these large projects. Some of his most famous works required immense dedication. He labored on the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial for 14 years.

Saint-Gaudens produced several distinct types of sculpture. He was famous for his Civil War commemorative commissions. These included the colossal Abraham Lincoln: The Man in Chicago, which is considered a fine portrait statue.

He also created grand equestrian monuments, which are statues of generals on horses. Another type of work was his classical sculpture, such as the bronze Diana. This statue once stood atop a 300-foot tower in Manhattan. He also specialized in intimate private portrait panels in very low relief. These were small, shallow carvings inspired by the Florentine Renaissance.

His reputation was cemented by major international successes. His masterpiece, Amor Caritas, won the Grand Prize at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900. This work was a vision of an ethereal female figure. Because it was so popular, about 20 smaller versions were produced and sold through retailers like Tiffany & Co. He also achieved great success in numismatics, which is the study or making of coins. President Theodore Roosevelt chose him to redesign American coinage. Saint-Gaudens designed the $20 gold double eagle, often called one of the most beautiful American coins.

The $20 double eagle was created with an ultra high relief. This means the design stands out very far from the flat surface of the coin. In 1907, the US Mint produced about 20 of these ultra high relief coins. They required up to 11 strikes to bring out the fine details. However, these specific coins did not stack properly. Because they were unfit for daily commerce, they are now highly sought-after collectors' items. He also designed the $10 "Indian Head" gold eagle, which was minted from 1907 until 1933.

Beyond his own art, Saint-Gaudens shaped the future of American art. He was a sensitive teacher who tutored young artists privately and taught at the Art Students League of New York. He trained many notable sculptors, including James Earle Fraser and Elsie Ward. In his later years, he founded the Cornish Colony in New Hampshire. This was an artist's colony that brought together painters, sculptors, writers, and architects. He also served on the McMillan Commission to help realize the master plan for Washington, D.C. His legacy lives on in the many monuments and students he left behind.