Newsletter March 2012 – The Faces of US Immigrants: Augustus Saint-Gaudens, An Irish-American Sculptor
March 22nd, 2012 by Eric J. Ramos
IN THIS ISSUE
The U.S. Naturalization Civics Test
EB-5 Program to End?
Silicon Valley Funding DREAMs
Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum
Recipes From The Melting Pot: Irish Soda Bread, A St. Patrick’s Day Favorite
Quote of the Month
The Faces of US Immigrants: Augustus Saint-Gaudens, An Irish-American Sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, born on March 1, 1848 in Dublin, Ireland, was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the “American Renaissance”. Raised in New York City, he traveled to Europe for further training and artistic study, and then returned to major critical success in the design of monuments commemorating heroes of the American Civil War, many of which still stand. In addition to his famous works such as the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common and the outstanding grand equestrian monuments to Civil War generals, such as that of William Tecumseh Sherman found in New York’s Central Park, 1892–1903. Saint-Gaudens also had an interest in coin collecting and designed the $20 “double eagle” gold piece, for the US Mint in 1905–1907, still considered the most beautiful American coin ever issued as well as the $10 “Indian Head” gold eagle, both of which were minted from 1907 until 1933. In his later years he founded the “Cornish Colony”, an artistic colony that included notable painters, sculptors, writers, and architects. Saint-Gaudens died on August 3, 1907 in Cornish, New Hampshire. He was 59 years old.
