Alexander Calder was an American sculptor

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures

Mobile (sculpture)

A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal...

. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs

Lithography

Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...

, toys, tapestry

Tapestry

Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...

, jewelry and household objects.
Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton

Lawnton, Pennsylvania

Lawnton is a census-designated place in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,787 at the 2000 census...

, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 1898. His father, Alexander Stirling Calder

Alexander Stirling Calder

Alexander Stirling Calder was an American sculptor and teacher; son of the sculptor Alexander Milne Calder, and father of the sculptor Alexander Calder...

, was a well-known sculptor who created many public installations, a majority of them in Philadelphia.