Augustus Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1848 but moved
with his family to New York before his first birthday. Drawn to sculpting
at an early age, Saint-Gaudens left school before the age of thirteen
to apprentice for a cameo cutter. While apprenticing, he attended Cooper
Union and the National Academy of Design. At the age of nineteen, Saint-Gaudens
moved to Europe to continue his studies in Paris and Rome. After studying
classical art and architecture, he began to work as a professional sculptor.
When he returned to America, Saint-Gaudens received his first major
commission in New York City. In 1881, his statue of Admiral Farragut
for Madison Square Garden set a new standard for public monuments. By
the late 1890’s, Saint-Gaudens had already created some of his greatest
works including a copper statue of Diana and the first of his bronze
monuments commemorating President Lincoln.
In 1906, his good friend, Theodore Roosevelt, asked Augustus Saint-Gaudens
to re-design all of the nation’s circulating coinage in a manner reminiscent
of the beautiful ancient coins from the Mediterranean region. He began
his work on the new, richer designs with the nation’s two largest gold
coins, the $20 and $10
denominations.
Saint-Gaudens followed the instructions of the deeply religious Roosevelt
closely and designed his new coins without the "In God We Trust" motto.
Shortly after the introduction, however, Congress ordered that all coins
include the motto.
Unfortunately, Saint-Gaudens died before he could see his designs become
minted coins. Mint Director Charles Barber made some minor changes,
but coins designed by America’s most acclaimed sculptor were considered
as America’s most beautiful as soon as they entered circulation.
Below are some of Saint-Gaudens's more popular sculptures. Move your mouse
over each image to see its location. You can click on each photo to
enlarge.
