The Sculpture of James Earle Fraser

Book excerpt: Fraser is best known for his End of the Trail and Buffalo Nickel. He also is the most prolific sculptor of Federalist Washington DC. He is represented by the portal figures at the Supreme Court, and others such as facades and pediments at Commerce, National Archives, and Agriculture; The Memorial Bridge, sculptures of Hamilton and Gallatin at Treasury, and major public works in New York, Chicago, and Jefferson City. In the first 5 decades of the 21st Century, Fraser was a leading artistic force. He served on the National Commission of Fine Arts and was President of the National Sculpture Society. He was closely allied with many of the American painters and sculptors including St. Haudens and French who were his early sponsors. He was involved with the Armory Show and The Eight, a close friend of Bellows and E.A. Robinson among many. He was popular in New York society, counting among his students Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Included in this book is Fraser's first Catalogue Raisonnee.