Biography of Hermon Atkins MacNeil Published

Author James E. Haas has recently published a biography of one of the country’s foremost, but little remembered figurative sculptors. It is titled Hermon Atkins MacNeil – American Sculptor in the Broad, Bright Daylight. Early recognition came to MacNeil (1866-1947) following Chicago’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 after which he modeled more than two dozen Indian themed works. On the strength of these and other efforts, he was awarded the first Rinehart Scholarship for sculpture that took him to Rome, then Paris. MacNeil produced memorable works for World’s Fairs held in Buffalo, 1901, St. Louis, 1904 and San Francisco, 1915. Throughout his long life he modeled statues, groups, portrait busts, war memorials and pediments along with one memorable coin, the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. He also designed four medals for the Pan-American Exposition, 1901, the Architectural League of New York, 1909, Conrad Poppenhusen, 1918, only eleven were cast, the New York City Tricentennial, 1926, and the Hopi Prayer for Rain, 1931.

Their stories and more are told in this $19.95, well-researched, 322-page, 6” x 9” paperback. His life story, the only one ever written and published, is told over 21 chapters with 206 photos and drawings. Interested readers can find more information at https://store.bookbaby.com/ book/hermon-atkins-macneil1.