The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-05-12
JOHN q. A. WARD, SCULPTOR.
Famous Artist Who Was Called Maker
of American History,

of American History.
John Quincy Adams Ward. dean OF
American sculptors and one of her
greatest, who died recently at his home
in New York city in his eightieth year,
was born in Urbana. o., ON June 20,
1880.
Mr.. Ward spent practically his entire
life in New York city. having gone
there from Ohio in his youth. His
| drst teacher in the art of sculpture
was Henry X. Brown. with whom he
elaborated on the famous equestrian
statue of Washington In New York
Among his other we'll known works
are equestrian statues of Sheridan and
Hancock in Philadelphia. aud in New
York the statues of 1.-The Indian Hunt
er," THE Pilgrim" Shakespeare. all in
| Central park. New York; Henry Ward
Beecher in Borough hall park, Brook
lyn; also statues of Commodore Perry
at Newport. r. l., and Israel Putnam
at Hartford, Conn.
Daniel c. French. pupil of Ward,
n paying tribute to his genius re-
called how Edwin Booth. the great
tragedian. posed for the Shakespeare
statue in Central park and gave help
full suggestion for arranging the folds
of the cloak. But his greatest work. -
said Mr. French, "a work which st.
Gaudens pronounced the finest eques-
TRAN statue in the world, is the statue
of General Thomas In Washington
There the horse is real horse in
every detail Mr.. Ward knew horses
and loved them"
The ancestral Wards landed at
jamestown. Va, in 1907. and some of
them moved westward In the course of
time. stopping at Urbana, o., Mr..
Wards birthplace. He never saw a
piece of sculpture before he was tif-
teen years old, but long before that
he had learned how to make such
queer figures with mud and clay that
the country people called him "Ward's
queer boy"
One day he went to Cincinnati,
where he saw for the first time piece
of real sculpture, the work of Hiram
Powers. Returning home, he attempt
ed to mold figures Of his own. without
encouragement from his parents. how
ever who regarded the boys efforts
as foolishness
If 1t bad not been for sister Ward
might have remained resident of Ur-
bana The sister came from Brooklyn
to visit her parents and managed TO
arrange for her brother to return with
her 10 New York for instruction. To-
ward the end of seven years time he
turned out The Indian Hunter
which is one of the notable bits of
sculpture 1T present in Central park.
New York
The first work for which Mr. Ward
was paid was the execution of u VOLTS
head for fountain in Mexico. He
WAS given SO for 1t. Mr.. Ward was
fond of fishing. and his real home of
late years bad been on his estate of
1000 acres mt Peekamoose lake. in the
CatskiIis Here the sculptor had a
large house MS well as clubhouse and
entertained in them urge parties of
his friends. When he was In his
prime Mr.. Ward was a skillful boxer.
and up to the end of his life he was a
Hercules for strength
One of his paternal ancestors. John
Ward. reached this side of the Allan
tic in 1919 landing at jamestown.
Va, and maternal ancestor settled
In Pennsylvania in 1856. His lineage.
the fact that he never studied abroad
and the character of his work made
him what his brother artists have
often called him. an indigenous artist.
lone of the makers of American his
tory" In another sense be was a
maker of American history" since he
had preserved its chapters for all time
In the faces and figures of his many
noted statues.
Mr.. Ward was married three times.
He had been All aeadeinician since
1863.