Pierre (or Pietro) Mezzara also became a sculptor, but moved to the United States, possibly because of the California Gold Rush. He lived in San Francisco, and was known for his work as a cameo cutter. He created the first memorial statue of Abraham Lincoln. It was dedicated (in plaster) in San Francisco in 1866, and destroyed (in bronze) by the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Pietro Mezzara was involved with the California Art Union and the San Francisco Art Association, and helped found the San Francisco School of Design.