Lorado Taft

Lorado Taft
Born	April 29, 1860(1860-04-29) Elmwood, Illinois
Died	October 30, 1936(1936-10-30) (aged 76) Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	American
Field	Sculpture

Lorado Zadoc Taft (April 29, 1860 – October 30, 1936) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.^[1]

Early years and education

Taft at work on Fountain of the Great Lakes in 1913 in Lorado Taft Midway Studios.

After being homeschooled by his parents, Taft earned his bachelor's degree (1879) and master's degree (1880) from the University of Illinois where his father was a professor of geology.^[2] The same year he left for Paris to study sculpture, he continued to maintain his connections with the university in Urbana and his sculpture of Alma Mater at Urbana has come to symbolize something significant.

In Paris, Taft attended the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts where he studied with Augustin Dumont, Jean-Marie Bonnassieux and Jules Thomas. His record there was outstanding; he was cited as "top man" in his studio and twice exhibited at the Salon. Upon returning to the United States in 1886 he settled in Chicago. He taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, a post he was to remain at until 1929. In addition to work in clay and plaster, Taft taught his students marble carving, and had them work on group projects. He also lectured at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois.^[3]

In 1892, while the art community of Chicago was in a-twitter preparing for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, chief architect Daniel Burnham expressed concern to Taft that the sculptural adornments to the buildings might not be finished on time. Taft asked if he could employ some of his female students as assistants (it was not socially accepted for women to work as sculptors at that time) for the Horticultural Building, Burnham responded with the classic reply, "Hire anyone, even white rabbits if they'll do the work." From that arose a group of talented women sculptors who were to retain the name, "the White Rabbits." These included Enid Yandell, Carol Brooks MacNeil, Bessie Potter Vonnoh, Janet Scudder, and Julia Bracken. Later another former successful student who emigrated to Canada, Frances Loring, noted that Taft used his students' talents to further his own career, a not uncommon observation by students regarding their teachers. In general, history has given Taft credit for helping to advance the status of women as sculptors.

His was not an entirely urban-centered life. In 1898, he was a founding member of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony.

Later years

In 1903 Taft published The History of American Sculpture, the first survey of the subject. In some settings, Taft is perhaps better known for his published writings than for his sculpture. The revised 1925 version of this text was to remain the standard reference on this subject until Wayne Craven published "Sculpture in America" in 1968.

As Taft grew older, his eloquent speaking skills and compelling writing led Taft, along with Frederick Ruckstull, to the forefront of sculpture's conservative ranks, where he often served as a spokesperson against the modern and abstract trends which developed in sculpture during his lifetime. Taft's frequent lecture tours for the Chautauqua also gave him a broad, popular celebrity status in this period.

In 1921, Taft published Modern Tendencies in Sculpture, a compilation of his lectures given at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book continues to be regarded as an excellent survey of American sculpture in the early years of the 20th century; and it offered a distinct perspective on the development of European sculpture at that time.

Among other honors, Taft's accomplishments were recognized by his election to the National Institute of Arts and Letters (now known as the American Academy of Arts and Letters). He was active until the end of his life. The week before he died, he attended the Quincy, Illinois dedication ceremonies for his sculpture celebrating the Lincoln-Douglas debates.^[1]

He left unfinished a vast work to be called the "Fountain of Creation" which he planned to place at the opposite end of the Chicago Midway from the "Fountain of Time."^[4] Parts of this work were donated to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and are now at the library and Foellinger Auditorium. The University named a dormitory and a street in Taft's honor.^[5]

Sculptor's body of work

Lorado Taft was a member of the National Sculpture Society and exhibited at both their 1923 and 1929 shows. Today Taft is best remembered for his various fountains.

Fountain of Time

Fountain of Time (1910-22), Midway Plaisance, Chicago, Illinois.

After more than a dozen years of work Taft's Fountain of Time was unveiled at the west end of Chicago's Midway Plaisance in 1922. Based on poet Austin Dobson's lines: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go." the fountain shows a cloaked figure of time observing the stream of humanity flowing past.

Pioneer & Patriot Groups for the Louisiana State Capitol Building

The last major commission that Taft was to complete in his life was two groups for the front entrance to the Louisiana State Capitol Building, dedicated in 1932.

Selected commissions

Lincoln the Lawyer (1929), Urbana, Illinois.

• LaFayette Fountain, Lafayette, Indiana, 1887.
• Schuyler Colfax, University Park, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1887.
• 4th Michigan Infantry Monument, Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1889.
• General Ulysses S. Grant Monument, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 1889.
• Student Veteran Memorial, Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan, 1895.
• Defense of the Flag, Withington Park, Jackson, Michigan, 1904.
• George Washington, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1905-09. Created for the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.
• Eternal Silence, Graves Memorial, Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, 1909.
• Chief Paduke Statue, Jefferson Street, Paducah, Kentucky, 1909.
• Black Hawk Statue Monument, aka Eternal Indian, Oregon, Illinois, 1911.
• The Solitude of the Soul, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1911-14.
• Columbus Fountain, in front of Union Station, Washington, D.C., 1912.
• Fountain of the Great Lakes, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1913.
• Seated Woman With Children aka Music, Chicago, Illinois, 1915
• The Soldiers' Monument, Oregon, Illinois, 1916.
• Thatcher Memorial Fountain, Denver, Colorado, 1918.
• Two Boys with Dolphins Fountain, Oregon, Illinois, ca. 1920
• Fountain of Time, Chicago, Illinois, 1922.
• William A. Foote Memorial, Woodland Cemetery, Jackson, Michigan, 1923.
• Lincoln the Lawyer, Urbana, Illinois, 1927.
• Alma Mater, University of Illinois, 1929.
• Frances Elizabeth Willard (plaque), Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1929.^[6]
• The Crusader, Lawson Monument, Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, 1931.
• Two Groups: The Pioneers and The Patriots, Louisiana State Capitol, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1932.
• Bas-relief of Lincoln - Douglas Debate, Quincy, October 13, 1858, Quincy, Illinois, 1936.
• Heald Square Monument (Robert Morris - George Washington - Haym Salomon), Chicago, Illinois, 1936-41. Completed by Leonard Crunelle following Taft's 1936 death.

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  LaFayette Fountain (1887), Tippecanoe County Courthouse, Lafayette, Indiana.

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  Schuyler Colfax (1887), University Park, Indianapolis, Indiana.

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  4th Michigan Infantry Monument (1889), Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

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  Student Veteran Memorial (1895), Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan.

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  Defense of the Flag (1904), Jackson, Michigan.

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  George Washington (1905-09), University of Washington, Seattle.

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  Fountain of the Great Lakes (1907-13), Art Institute of Chicago.

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  Black Hawk Statue (1908-11), Lowden State Park, Oregon, Illinois.

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  Eternal Silence (1909), Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

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  The Solitude of the Soul (1911-14), Art Institute of Chicago.

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  Columbus Fountain (1912), Union Station, Washington, D.C.

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  Seated Woman With Children, (1915), Chicago Illinois

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  The Soldiers' Monument (1916), Oregon, Illinois.

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  Thatcher Memorial Fountain (1918), Denver, Colorado.

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  Two Boys with Dolphins, Oregon Illinois, ca. 1920

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  Taft's self-portrait on the Fountain of Time (1922), Chicago, Illinois.

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  Foote Memorial (1923), Jackson, Michigan.

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  Alma Mater (1929), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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  The Crusader (1931), Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

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  The Patriots (1932), Louisiana State Capitol, Baton Rouge.

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  Lincoln - Douglas Debate, Quincy, October 13, 1858. (1936), Quincy, Illinois.

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  Heald Square Monument (1936-41), Chicago, Illinois. Completed by Leonard Crunelle.

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  Part of the Fountain of Creation (1933, unfinished), at the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Midway studios

There is a biography and other material about Lorado Taft available in this reference describing the 1965 National Historic Landmark-designated Lorado Taft Midway Studios.^[7]

Notes

Sources

• Bach, Ira and Mary Lackritz Gray, Chicago's Public Sculpture, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1983
• Barnard, Harry, This Great Triumvirate of Patriots – The inspiring Story behind Lorado Taft's Chicago Monument to George Washington, Robert Morris and Haym Solomon, Follett Publishing, Chicago Illinois 1971
• Contemporary American Sculpture, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, San Francisco, The National Sculpture Society 1929
• Craven, Wayne, Sculpture in America, Thomas Y. Crowell Co, New York 1968
• Exhibition of American Sculpture Catalogue, 156th Street of Broadway New York, The National Sculpture Society 1923
• Garvey, Timothy J., Public Sculptor – Lorado Taft and the Beautification of Chicago, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois 1988
• Goode, James M. The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.'., Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 1974
• Kubly, Vincent, The Louisiana Capitol-Its Art and Architecture, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna 1977
• Kvaran,, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture of America, unpublished manuscript
• Lanctot, Barbara, A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Chicago 1988
• Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986
• Rubenstein, Charlotte Streifer, American Women Sculptors, G.K. Hall & Co., Boston 1990
• Scheinman, Muriel, A Guide to the Art of the University of Illinois, University of Illinois Press, Urbana 1995
• Scherrer, Anton. "Our Town." Indianapolis Times. 18 April 1939.
• Taft, Lorado (1903). History of American Sculpture. New York: The MacMillan Company. pp. 544. http://books.google.com/books?id=eSGhAAAAMAAJ. 
• Taft, Lorado (1921). Modern Tendencies in Sculpture. University of Chicago Press. pp. 152. http://books.google.com/books?id=t7ZCAAAAYAAJ. 
• Weller, Allen Stuart, Lorado in Paris – the Letters of Lorado Taft 1880–1885, University of Illinois Press, Urbana Illinois 1985

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lorado Taft

• Lorado Taft Papers, 1857-1953 University of Illinois Archives
• The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries: Archives Collection: Lorado Taft Collection, 1908-1938
• Descriptions and photographs of two works Defense of the Flag memorial and William A Foote memorial
• Texts on Wikisource:
  • "Taft, Lorado". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1889. 
  • "Taft, Lorado". New International Encyclopedia. 1905. 
  • Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). "Taft, Lorado". The New Student's Reference Work. Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co.. Wikisource