Paula Murphy

A substantial number of sculptors working on the east coast of America in the nineteenth and early twentieth century can claim Irish-American status. Either born in Ireland and emigrated to the U.S. or born in America to Irish parents, none of these sculptors trained in their profession in Ireland and few of them are represented by work there. This group of sculptors, who were responsible for work that was of considerable significance, notably many Civil War monuments, have largely been neglected in the narrative of American sculpture. Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848– 1907), born in Dublin and taken to the U.S. at the age of six months, is a notable exception. By contrast, Martin Milmore (1844–1883), who was born in County Sligo, and who carried out many public commemorative works in the U.S. in addition to many portrait busts of eminent contemporary figures, is widely known for the funerary monument dedicated to him in Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston (the work of American sculptor Daniel Chester French, 1850–1931), rather than for his own work. This research project proposes to explore the scope of the careers of these IrishAmerican sculptors and their relationship with their American peers. The project will also consider the issue of Irish-American patronage for public sculpture. The commissioning process for public sculpture, the making of the work, the installing and unveiling, and subsequent public response are all rich resources of information about a particular period. It is anticipated, therefore, that this research project will augment the story of American sculpture in its historical, social, and material context.