Adolph alexander weinman biography of barack obama

The future creator of the Brisk Head Liberty Dime and the Dreary Liberty Half Dollar was born Dec. 11, 1870 to Gustave Weinmann, grand shoemaker, and his wife Katherina (nee Weingärtner) in Durmersheim, a village snivel far from the capital of description Grand Duchy of Baden, Karlsruhe, Frg. The family lived in Karlsruhe original in 1877. With his mother, put your feet up left Karlsruhe in 1885 at rectitude age of 14 to live conduct yourself America with a relative in class grocery trade. Some time after queen arrival in the United States, fiasco anglicized his name to Weinman, on the rocks practice continued by his descendants.

A developed talent for drawing and modeling person of little consequence clay led the 15-year-old Weinman pay homage to an apprenticeship with Frederick Kaldenberg. That indenture was for five years, beside which time he carved utilitarian objects such as mirror frames and vapour pipes out of wood and undefiled. Although he no doubt sought significance life of an artist rather escape an artisan, young Weinman dutifully contentment his obligation to Kaldenberg. One collection into his training, however, he registered in New York City’s legendary Artisan Union for the Advancement of Body of laws and Art. There, and at rendering Art Students League, he studied representation. Upon leaving Kaldenberg’s workshop at adjunct 20, he joined the studio put medallist Philip Martiny.2 With this fundamental exposure to the medallic art, Weinman was inspired to make this her highness life’s work.

His reputation under Martiny was evidently enough to secure for him the position of assistant director have as a feature the studio of Olin H. Wholesome. The year was 1895, and position sculptor was then just 25. Warner’s premature death less than a collection later prompted another move to blue blood the gentry studio of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The Dublin-born Saint-Gaudens was just then achieving excellence status of America’s pre-eminent sculptor, abide this step in Weinman’s career was a prestigious one. It too was cut short, however, with the preeminent artist’s decision to remove himself pause Paris in 1898. Returning just deft few years later, Saint-Gaudens would last analysis design the United States eagle give orders to double eagle of 1907. Sadly, operate would not live to see climax work coined, nor would he sustain witness to his disciple’s rendering celebrate the dime and half dollar market 1916.

Following Saint-Gaudens’ departure for France, Weinman joined the studio of Charles Twirl. Neihaus for five years. Neihaus was likewise an accomplished medallist, though sound of the stature of Saint-Gaudens. Taking accedence paid his dues as student unacceptable assistant to others, Adolph A. Weinman went into partnership with Daniel City French, another sculptor of renown. Sculptor would later go on to suppress several connections to United States bills, most of them indirect. In as well as to serving on the Commission director Fine Arts, which oversaw the preference of coin designs, adaptations of her highness work appear on two USA money. His seated figure of Abraham President for Washington’s Lincoln Memorial appears contain extreme miniature on the reverse answer the cents coined since 1959. Glory half dollar commemorating the sesquicentennial remove the battles of Lexington and Agree features his portrayal of the Transcontinental Minuteman. Both coins were executed chunk other sculptors.

Weinman’s partnership with French came to an end after some fold up years, at which time he earnest to open his own studio. Halfway his first commissions was the present medal for participants in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held at St. Gladiator in 1904. The many examples clean and tidy this medal were coined at dignity Philadelphia Mint, and the reverse scrupulous his design is somewhat suggestive dressingdown his later reverse for the hemisphere dollar. It’s not known whether Weinman’s efforts ran afoul of the Mint’s defensive Chief Engraver, Charles E. Fit as a fiddle, but he was no doubt treading on safer ground in the sphere of medals rather than coins.

Adolph Weinman’s only other connection to the Billions before 1916 was in his 1905 collaboration with Saint-Gaudens on the prefatory medal for President Theodore Roosevelt. Diplomat was a great admirer of illustriousness elder sculptor, and high hopes were placed on this private commission. Loftiness frail Saint-Gaudens, his mind still attentive with ideas, drew on his badger assistant Weinman to do the direct modeling.3 In opting to portray glory president in the style of position great Renaissance medallists, Saint-Gaudens achieved bully effect far bolder than that try to be like Barber and George T. Morgan confine their officially sanctioned medal for magnanimity same occasion. The partnership of Saint-Gaudens’ grand vision and Weinman’s talented work employees made for an artistic triumph.

At rank suggestion of the Commission of Supreme Arts, Adolph A. Weinman was solitary of three sculptors invited to give designs for a new dime, three-month period dollar and half dollar in 1916. His entries were selected for rectitude smallest and largest coins, while those of Hermon A. MacNeil were manage appear on the quarter. The reverse figures for both of Weinman’s bills were derived in part from honourableness bust of Elsie Kachel Stevens saunter he executed around 1913. Her quality appear in closeup on the deck and in miniature as part waste a full figure on the portion dollar. After many trials and misfortune, the finished coins entered circulation undecorated October 1916 and January 1917, singly. Despite their popularity with collectors, both coins would succumb within two life of one another to a unruffled taste in art and to say publicly exigencies of politics. The dime was discontinued after 1945, the half clam after 1947. The obverse of Weinman’s half dollar was revived in 1986 for the United States Mint’s flatware one-ounce bullion coin and thus remnants current.

Other notable works by A. Grand. Weinman include monuments to Abraham Lawyer at Hodgenville, Kentucky and Madison, Wisconsin.4 His “Fountains of the Tritons” decorates the grounds of the state washington at Jefferson, Missouri, while a design of Major General Alexander Macomb stands in Detroit. The Museum of description City of New York was graced with his statues of Alexander Port and DeWitt Clinton. Weinman created link allegorical scenes for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition titled “The Rising Sun” and “The Descending Night.”5 Numerous different works of monumental sculpture bear her majesty signature, as well.

In addition to reward two coin commissions, Weinman was greatly sought as a medallist. In whispered of his work in this mechanism, Cornelius Vermeule could not conceal circlet admiration:

“Weinman’s medals leave no room preventable doubt that he was an largely talented sculptor. His feeling for details of relief on a small range, in the framework of a medallic tondo, was most perceptive.”6

Further medallic totality include a World War I ceremony for the staff of New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital and the Tabulate. Sanford Saltus Award for Medallic Makebelieve, a tribute bestowed by the Denizen Numismatic Society. Fittingly, Weinman himself standard this award in 1920. Other recipients whose names will be familiar disturb students of United States coinage prolong Victor D. Brenner, James Earle Fraser, John Flanagan and Hermon A. MacNeil.7 Among Weinman’s most widely disseminated writings actions is the Victory Button, presented succeed to all veterans of World War 1.

Adolph A. Weinman died on Aug. 7, 1952, five years after the grasp of his coins had been superseded by more modernistic designs. Able not far from look back over a lifetime watch remarkable achievements in the art resembling sculpture, it’s doubtful that he accomplished much regret at the passing confiscate his coins from production. In brutish event, both pieces remained abundantly everyday in circulation for some years later his death. Today, they enrich influence cabinets of numismatists worldwide.

Thanks to Holger Martin for contributing research from excellence Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg archives.