Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-11-10
Larkin q. Ncad's Talent as n Scuip. or
Came into Prominence by His Uniuuc
Achievement in nrattleborO.

tffOm the frattlebOrO Roforlner.)
Larkin Goldsmith Mead. the sculptor
whose snow angel gave its creator and
the town of Brattleboro country wide
publicity almost "a years ago. died at his
Rome I'm Florence, Italy. Saturday, at the
age of % years. Florence had been his
home for nearly II years and he had visit
ed this country but seldom since he took
up his residence in Italy, his last trip
being here in the summer OF 1907. Mr..
Mead's artistic aptitude was revealed by
his youthful achievement OF modelling q
snow statue in this town the night of
Dec. 81, 1855, and an interesting description
Of this memorable episode Is given
connection with this sketch. Ever since
1867, when he modelled the gigantic statue
Of Vermont ON the dome of the state
House at Montpelier he had been we'll
known sculptor. Much of his work was OF
this large. monumental kind. like The
Returned Soldier and "Columbus's Last
Appeal to Queen Isabella" 1t was not the
kind of work he best liked, but 1t was
the kind of work for which an American
sculptor could best get commissions.
and he did II with n strength which held
the attention Of the public Like most
American sculptors OF his generation. he
found It necessary to go to Italy. where
one could study from the antique and
feel the pulse of what little life the art
of sculptor, for the most part moriburd,
retained In the middle of the 10Th CEN
fury.
For time he lived in Venice as an at
tache of the American consulate. the
consul being the budding novelist, w. u.
How ellis, who in 1862 married his sister,
Eiinor. Fer six months during the Civil,
war he was in camp. as illustrator for
flarper's Weekly. and it is a coincidence
that Ninslow Homer. who recently died,
also had his early training as an illus
traitor during the Civil War. In both
cases the exerpiencc counted for much,
giving both. for example, a strong sense
OF tie hold which Il well-p!ctured story
has upon the public. II gave Mead, no
doubt. much better background than he
could otherwise have had for his military
groups like Cavalry" Infantry" AR
tlllery," 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, much less firm foot
ing He executed a number OF allegorical
or ideal pieces like Venice. Sappho, Echo,
and The Mississippi. but they have never
peen so popular, nor are they rated as
altogether successful. In 1866 he married
Marietta hi Benvenuti OF Venice, AMI
from mat time on made his home in
Florence, where his studio was in the
VIA degli Artist. For more than half a
century he was well-known figure in
me art world. with n wide acquaintance
among the distinguished people of his
TIME His artistic faults are those of the
american sculptor OF his period; his
TALENT Is generally recognized. and his
WORK stands in numerous ,mportant
places where 1t will long attract atten.
ton.
PREVIOUS to his creation of the famous
snow angel on the last night ~ Tho var
1886, young Mead had been studying for
two years with Franklin X. Rrowr
native OF Leyden in Franklin county. and
one OF the best known of the Older so,nr.
tors. whose equestrian statue of Wash
"ib'oh III 'hion square. New York, mad,
him famous. II is Interesting ia rec.l,
mat II was Nicholas iongworth OF Gin
cinnau who gave Mead his start. ,ak,n,
All lHlciNSN III MN dlleT reading b,
story of The Snow Angel" to which
wide publicity had been given. Mr.. Long.
worth gave Mead "A commission to eye
cute II bronze statue Of THE Recording
Angel" and other orders followed So
that the young sculptor was fairly EN-
bared upon his career. THE Recording
Angel" was put into the rotunda OF the
Capitol Vt Washington. Meads next work
was statue of Ethan Allen made for
the State of Vermont. st. Johnsbury or
,,erod II statue Of America" for its
soldiers monument For Springfield,
H.. he executed a statue of Lincoln.
Among Mead's works not already refer
red to may be noted THE Return OF
Prosperinc from the Realms of Pluto"
which stood over the main entrance tn
the agricultural building at the Chicago
exposition of 1898 large group repre-
scnting the Stanford family for Leland