The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-10-18
DEATH oFrHE SCULPTOR MEAD
The Romantic Story Of the "Snow
Angel" Of 6rattleboro

home in Florence, Italy, at the age or
IS. A native of Chesterfield, y. II,
he spent his early life in Brattleboro,
VI. and was C ERIK in a hardware
store when his artistic aptitude was
revealed almost by an accident ana
he was enabled TO secure an educa-
tion in his art He has been a well
known sculptor ever since 1857 when
he modelled the gigantic statue OF Yer
mont on the dome OF the state house
AT Montpelier. Much OF his Worh
was of this large, monumental klno'
like oThe Returned Soldier" and Col
umbus Last Appeal to queen lsaoei'
la" II was not the kind OF Work ne
hest liked but ii was the kind OF work
for which an American sculptor could
hest get commissions and he did IL
with a strength which held the atten-
tion of the pubic. Like most Amer
lean sculptors Of his generation ne
found it necessary to go to italy,
where one could study from the an
tioue and feel the pulse of what little
life the art of sculpture for the most
mart moribound, retained in the mid
die of the 10Th century.
For a time he lived in Venice as
an attache of the American consul
ate the consul being the budding nov
elist. w. d. Howells, who in 1862
married his sister Elinor. For SIX
months during the civil war he was
in camp as illustrator for Harpers
Weekly and it is a 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, for example
strong sense of the hold which a wen
pictured story has upon the public.
II gave Mead, no doubt. a much bet
ter background than he could other
wise have had for his military groups
like Cavalry" Infantry" "Artil-
lerv." 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 sculptors of his day.
much less firm footing He executed
number of a'legorical or ideal piec-
es like Venice" "Sappho," Echo "
'The Mississippi" but they have
never been so popular, nor are they
rated as altogether successful. In
1866 he married Marietta Di Benyen-
uti of Venice and from that time on
made his home in Florence where his
studio was in the Via degli Artist.
For more than half a century he was
we'll known figure in the art world,
with a wide acquaintance among the
distinguished people OF his time. HIS
artistic faults are those of the Ameri-
can sculpture Of his period; his tai
ent is generally recognized and his
work stands IN numerous important
places where II will long attract at
tention.
The most picturesque and memoir
able episode of his life was his mod
cling in Brattleboro on the last night
of the year 1856. Of the Snow Angel
which first called attention to his tai
ent. In the Republican Of December
Il, 1901 a reproduction was given Of
painting in which this striking ach-
ievement Of the sculptor's youth was
romantically depicted. With two
friends he labored for hours in the
cold December night Henry Burn
ham kent a hot fire going in the old
Burnham foundry and supplied the
younger workers with sweet cider.
while his younger brother, Edward,
assisted Mead in molding the IMAGE.
From time to time trips TO the FIRE
were made for holding the more ey-
pressive parts OF the statue which
were then attached 10 the rough fig
uere outdoors and allowed to freeze
I'm pace. Water was poured over the
statue, turning into ice which dened
the sun for more than a fortnight,
and many people from neighboring
towns, attracted by the description
IN The Republican and other papers.
came 10 see this Brattleboro marvel.
Probably no young man so startled
the people Of the village in which he
had been brought up" The Republi.
can observed: that was DAYS before
the days Of the Wright brothers but
the exceptions have not been numer.
GUS even in these progressive DAYS.
A, that time Mead had been study.
ing for two years with Franklin X.
Brown, a native of Loyden in Frank.
lin county, and one Of the best
known OF our older sculptors. whose
equestrian statue of Washington IN
Union square. New York. made hin,
famous. II is interesting to recall
that II was Nicholas Tongworth OF
Cincinnati who gave Mead his start
taking an interest in him after read
ing the story of "The Snow Angel
to which wide publicity had been civ
en- Did Henry James. Il NAV he
wondered. have the romantic story
OF Mr.. Howel's's talented brotber.in
law In a corner Of his mind when h,
wrote "Rodericl, Hudson"e Mr.
Longworth gave Mead a commission
70 execute a bronze statue of aTb,
recording Angel" and other order.
iollowed, so that the young scnln,o,
was fairly embarked upon his caroor
| me Recording Angel" was nnt I'M,
me rotunda Of the capitol M wasS
lhgton Mead's next work was ,
statue OF Ethan Allen made for n,
state OF Vermont st. Iobnsbnrv -.
| dered n statue of "Ap,ort.a~ VI