The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-10
ALEXANDER GAIT,
The Sculptor.

! ALEXANDER Illt, LNe SeCouu SON VI -.
| Alexander Gait, and his wife (nee Mary
| sylvester Jeffery). was born in Norfolk.
| Va. about the year 1928.
He showed a talent for sculpture very
| early carving beautiful canoes (many OF
| hem portraits) in his youth. at an early
| age he was sent by his father to get MS
art education in Florence, the. art schooi
| there being then considered the pest ~
the world believe he was the III
| ,ini;, sculptor who went abroad 70 seuus
through Barbee also went to flo!ence
a little later to prosecute his ART stou'es'
! s., in addition to the great wealth. " "a
mast associations connected with Florence,
+ also Possesses for US the addltional NJ
| terast of having been the spot where two
! gifted young Virginians have received
| sheIr Instructions and culture IN art 1alt
| took the highest honors in Florence Tor
| his progress in his studies ard after nm
| shing his course he opened his tudio In
| this city, remaining here five years.
us first ideal bust made in Florence was
! Virginia" named after his State. Ihen
| followed Psyche the celebrated bac.
| chante" '.Sappho," &C., and bust caileo
Hope" There are in existence nVe
| copies Of the .'Bacchante," one in Scot
| land. one in Richmond, one in Norfolk
one in the Corcoran Gallery. at Washing
ton and another in the possession OF
| niece of the sculptor in LyachbHrg va
He returned to America in 1880, after ms
| first sojourn in Florence, and remained
| Gear in his native country. He received
! at this time an order from the State Of
! Virginia for a statue Of Thomas Jetter
| son for the University of Virginia. This
| statue arrived in Virginia just as the
Civil War was on the point of breaking
! OFT. and excited much attention ana ad-
| ,niration despite the distractions of that
| ,;nn,,et per;od. The old friends and ser
wants of ..the Saga OF Monticello looked
on with great emotion exclalmlng: IL
| is Mr.. Jefferson himself.
| During his visit home In 1855, some OF
| his work was on exhibition in Charies-
ton, s. c., at a State fair, held there, aiio
excited so much admiration that the CITY
(or State) presented him with soma
silver pitcher as test'moniai u 49,. 80,
| The State Of South Carolina ordered from
! hin, a bust of Chief Justice Rutledge for
| the room of the Supreme Court at the
| Capitol at Washington. where it now IS.
| In addition to his ideal busts, Gait made
| many bust portraits. one Of Mrs. Bruce,
| Mrs. Stanard and Mrs. Joseph r. Ander-
son, OF Richmond. OF Mrs. Gatewood and
! Carolina a bust Of Governor Lethcher, OF
| Governor Wise and of General Philip St
| George Cooke of "Belmead,' Va. He also
made, while in Norfolk. about the time
| Of the war. bust Of the beautiful Miss
Mary Garrett and the celebrated beauty.
| Miss Emily Christian.
J He returned to Florence in 1856, remain
| ing there another five years, but when
| the alarm Of war sounded in his native
f,,,,I 1,1 mad TO Ct Inf
| his beloved mother State. Virginia. He
| was on Governor Letcher's staff, and also
| did valuable service w4.h.the Confederate
! engineers. He made a bust of Jefferson
| Davis, and was the only sculptor Mr.
| ravis sat for during the war. This bust
| was broken. but Mr.. Davis sat for anoth-
! er enc, and the second bust was finished
and cast. He also made sketches Of Lee
and nledallions Of Jackson.
His career. which had opened so bright
! ly and which promised stN greater things
| for the future, was brought to sad and
| untimely close by his contracting small
pox which he did in Stonewall Jackson's
camp. whittier he had gone to make q.
| study and sketches of that hero. prepa-
| ratory to making bust and later a sta
| tue of him. This talented young sculp-
| tor passed away on the 18th Of January.
| 1863 aged about thirty-five, dying before
! he had even reached the zenith Of his
| powers.
Truly the Scriptural saying was veri-
| fed In him. His sun went down while
! il was yet day"
And who can estimate what potential
| forms of beauty and grace hoated in
| that gifted brain whose work on earth
| was so early terminated.
| The things that he left In his studio
| at the time of his deatil-many of them
| studies of great value-were carefully
| stored away, but most unfortunately,
| they were burned up in the fire in Rich
| mond at the conclusion of the war. Amid
! all the stored up tobacco and other
| material resources so unnecessarily con-
| sumed in this destructive fire, nothing
| arouses a more poignant regret in the
| mind than the thought OF the art treas
| ures sacrificed in the studio of Alexan-
| der Gait All that escaped was a few
| things that had been sent into the
| country. as. for instance and finished
head entitled The Spirit Of the South
| for which several celebrated beauties and
bellies had sat.
| TO ALEXANDER GAIT, THE SCULP-
| Alas! he's cold!
| Cold as the marble which his fingers
wrought
! Cold. but not dead; for each embodied
thought
| OF his. which he from the Ideal brought
To live in stone,
| Assures him immortality Of fame.
Gait is not dead!
Only too soon
We saw him climb
| Up to his PEDESTAL, where equal Time
! And coming generations, in the noon
Of his full reputation, yet shall stand
To pay just homage to his noble name.
Our Poet of the Quarries only sleeps,
He cleft his pathway up the futures
sleeps.
And now rests from his labors
Hence It's I say;
For him there Is no death.
Only the stopping of the pulse and
breath
| It,