Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-10-21
SCULPTOR OF RECORDING ANGEL DEAD
Lan G. Mead Laid Foundation for Fame by Carving Statue in
Snow Bratteboro Where His Early Life Was Spent Replica
Will Be Placed in Unitarian Church

field ILL.,, Mr.. Mead made and executed a
statue of Lincoln
Much of Mr. Mcads work was of this
large, monumental kind like The re
turned Soldier" and "Columbuss Last
Appeal to Queen Isabella" it was not
the kind of work he best liked, but it
was the kind of work for which an
American sculptor could best get commits
sions, and he did it with a strength which
held the attention of the public. Like
most American sculptors of his genera
ton, he found ii necessary to go to Italy,
where one could study from the antique
and feel the pulse of what little life the
art of sculpture, for the most part MORT
bund, retained in the middle of the 18th
century.
For time he lived in Venice as an
attaChe of the American consulate the
consul being the then budding novelist,
| William ID. Howells who in 1862 married
his sister, Elinor. For six months during
the Civil war he was in camp as illustra-
tor for Harper's Weekly, and it is Il
coincidence that Winslow Homer, who
recently died, also had his early training
as an illustrator during the Civil war.
In both cases the experience counted for
much, giving both a strong sense of the
hold which a well-pictured story has
upon the public. 1t gave Mr.. Mead, no
doubt, a much better background than he
could otherwise have had for his military
groups like Cavalry" Infantry" Ar
tillery," Navy" But being an artist
and living in artistic atmosphere he was
drawn more and more toward the ideal,
and here he found, like most other sculp-
tors of his day, a much less firm footing.
He executed a number of allegorical or
ideal pieces like Venice" "Sappho,"
ECHO, THE Mississippi" but they have
never been very popular, nor are they
rated as altogether successful. In 1866
he married Marietta Mobile Benvenuti of
Venice, and from that time on made his
home in Florence, where his studio was in
the Via degi Artist. For more than
half a century he was a well-known fig
ure in the art world, with a wide ac-
quaintance among the distinguished peo-
pie of his time His artistic faults were
those of the American sculptor of his
period. his talent generally recognized,
and his work stands in numerous impor-
tant places whore it will long attract at
tenton
No other episode in Mr.. Mead's life was
SO picturesque and memorable as his
modelling of THE Recording Angel" at
the point of the land near where the
Wells fountain now stands in front of the
high school building. The most complete
and interesting story of that snow statue
ever written is from the pen Of Charles
N / n p
esoua Rrattleboro A." II &c nc foIIo,,s.
"RrattIeboro neonIe tal, ~, oir,,ost t5,.,
lie story, when reference is made to Lar
who va .hro,,Cht IN, t. ttti. M 49,
who ono bright winter n1orrine, startiod
them with unique evidence of his genius.
when vo,,ng Nteod ana tr'o $50. '' Wv"
about Inc constrnc+ion Of s,,o,, 49,
in the centre Of the town Tho rrionds 10 =,
been entbisio etic hoIio,.orl H., 49, .'a,.
believed to he tho r,iddo,, t,ia,,t, 90 49,
companion Mead and aftor ,,,,,c,, ,,a.,,,i
sion he had at LAST ronsnnted 10 tr,, 80 sao
what he could do f., tho u.a,. - ,,,,'I,,io
q statue fron, sro,, ana t " n5',.',,.5
bovs' snow man was mt, 60 ~ ~
roughly mou,dad 6gure ~ soct -,
cnmsjiv stucL toqatber M ,,,,.,,,,p w.
with nieces of WOOD ana stioi,, ,,roias,T,..
inserted for ewes nose ana n,ovtb Tho
Young mon were in earnest r., tboi r,,,r
pose TO achieve something u,ortt,I %
note.