Cyrus Dallin (1861-1944) was one of America's premier sculptors. He lived and worked in Arlington, Massachusetts for over 40 years. He sculpted both historical figures and personal portrayals of Native Americans and family members. The museum is located in the Jefferson Cutter House in Arlington on the route of Paul Revere's historic ride and the Revolutionary Battle Road. We visited the museum on Friday and did some shopping for our grandchildren afterwards.
Dallin won the Paul Revere monument commission in 1883 at the age of 22, but politics and economics prevented him from finishing it until 58 years later. The Caproni Brothers produced hundreds of copies of the fifth version for both public and private use which gained it enough popularity that it became an icon for the city of Boston.
Instead of featuring this well-known statue that catapulted his career as a sculptor, I chose to feature some of his other well-known pieces in this collage. The "Indian Head" in the upper left hand panel was created for and sold to the Indian Head National Bank of Nashua, N. H. The bank used the plaster cast to make several large bronze copies to be placed in their assorted branches, and also a smaller version which was given out as a children's savings bank. Dallin grew up playing with Native Americans on the American frontier in Utah. Unlike other sculptors who chose their poses from Classical and Renaissance art, Dallin's pieces were drawn from real life and real models.
The bust in the lower middle panel is that of abolitionist Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910). She is the author of the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic whose words are drawn from the Book of Revelation (chapter 14, verse 19). Howe also wrote the first Mother's Day Proclamation.
The Angel Moroni (1891) was designed for the spire of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. The presentation model in the upper right hand panel was donated to the museum by the Mormons upon the sculpture's 100th birthday in 1999.
And lastly, Appeal to the Great Spirit, which next to Paul Revere's Ride is probably his most noted sculpture, is found in the center upper panel and lower right hand corner (background). The white plaster cast on display in the museum is a "sketch". The actual sculpture is found on display in the front of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It is very emotional and expressive as it depicts the confusion and despondency of Native Americans over the loss of Native American land after the Indian Wars.
I'm very impressed by the length and breadth of his life span and artistry. How far is this museum from my daughter's house in Swampscott, on the North SHore? Looks like a good place to visit.
@kerristephens Thank you Kerri! @mrssmith Thank you Carla! There were also some lovely ones of his children- and a rather comical one of his cat! @henrir Thank you Henri. We were happy to discover something right around the corner from where we were dog sitting- by the end of the week we were soooo tired of walking! @cimes1 Yes, Carole, for a small museum it was really jam-packed with some wonderful pieces. @httpgeffed Thanks Colleen. I vaguely remember studying the American sculpture movement in my undergrad days, so I enjoyed being reacquainted with his work. @wenbow Thanks Wendy! @allie912 Thanks Allison. Here is the info she needs: Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, 611 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Ma. 02474 (781-641-0747). Arlington does not have a stop on the T, but you can take the red line to Alewife and there are buses. It's only a few minutes to Arlington from the station. The museum is "free" but there is a place to make donations, which of course, they use to keep the place going. With the address, you should be able to use MapQuest or GPS to get the exact directions. There is a municipal parking lot for parking and lots of neat shops and restaurants all along Mass. Ave as well. I wish I'd known about your daughter's restaurant before we went to Boston. We definitely would have gone there! @daisy Thanks Kathryn- if you type the name of the museum in the search line the museum's website should pop up. And yes, if you're heading to Boston, Arlington is not too far away.
@prttblues There were some truly beautiful Native American pieces there-the one in the foreground on the bottom right was my favorite I think- a mother with her baby in a papoose.
@kandernob Thanks Karen! Yes, his style, as is typical of the art from this time in our history, is very expressive. @sangwann Thank you Dione! I think he is more nationally known because of his subject matter than internationally, although he did study in France under some very well-know sculptors of the day.
I love these history collages and all the info you have with them. You should start a new kind of history book, full of knowledge, photos and art. Excellent! :-)
@vposey Thanks Vickie! Although you can take pictures in these museums, the statues are "copy-righted" in the sense that you can not use them to make money. But that is a good idea!
August 26th, 2012
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@mrssmith Thank you Carla! There were also some lovely ones of his children- and a rather comical one of his cat!
@henrir Thank you Henri. We were happy to discover something right around the corner from where we were dog sitting- by the end of the week we were soooo tired of walking!
@cimes1 Yes, Carole, for a small museum it was really jam-packed with some wonderful pieces.
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen. I vaguely remember studying the American sculpture movement in my undergrad days, so I enjoyed being reacquainted with his work.
@wenbow Thanks Wendy!
@allie912 Thanks Allison. Here is the info she needs: Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, 611 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Ma. 02474 (781-641-0747). Arlington does not have a stop on the T, but you can take the red line to Alewife and there are buses. It's only a few minutes to Arlington from the station. The museum is "free" but there is a place to make donations, which of course, they use to keep the place going. With the address, you should be able to use MapQuest or GPS to get the exact directions. There is a municipal parking lot for parking and lots of neat shops and restaurants all along Mass. Ave as well. I wish I'd known about your daughter's restaurant before we went to Boston. We definitely would have gone there!
@daisy Thanks Kathryn- if you type the name of the museum in the search line the museum's website should pop up. And yes, if you're heading to Boston, Arlington is not too far away.
@sangwann Thank you Dione! I think he is more nationally known because of his subject matter than internationally, although he did study in France under some very well-know sculptors of the day.