Karl Gerhardt
Encyclopedia
Karl Gerhardt was a United States
sculptor.
, where he later became a machinist at Ames Foundry
. He showed considerable talent in mechanics, and later became a designer of machinery at Hartford, Connecticut
.
In 1874, he went to California
. By 1880, he had returned east to Hartford, and was married to Harriet Josephine Gerhardt, who came from Dalton, Massachusetts
. He worked for a spell as chief machinist at the Pratt and Whitney Machine Tool Company
in Hartford and pursued sculpting in his leisure hours.
His first works were a bust of his wife and “A Startled Bather.” He was so successful at sculpting, that in 1881 Mark Twain
financed a trip to study in Paris
at the École des Beaux-Arts
. In Paris his work was exhibited in the salon
and won prizes. In 1884 he exhibited at the salon “Echo,” a statuette, and “Eve's Lullaby,” a life-size group.
His works included busts of Gen. U. S. Grant, Henry Ward Beecher
(1886), Samuel L. Clemens (1883), and others; statues of Nathan Hale
(1885), in the Connecticut State capitol; Gen. Israel Putnam
(1887) at Brooklyn, Connecticut
; Josiah Bartlett
(1888), signer of the Declaration of Independence, in Amesbury, Massachusetts
; Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren
at Little Round Top
in Gettysburg Battlefield
(1888); tablet to John Fitch
, in the state capitol in Hartford, Connecticut
(1888); and Welton Fountain (1888), Waterbury, Connecticut
.
Gerhardt's wife died in 1897. They had two children. In 1908, he was living in New Orleans, and by 1920 he had moved to Shreveport, Louisiana.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor.
Biography
He attended Phillips School in Boston. By 1870 he was apprenticed to a house painter in Chicopee, MassachusettsChicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
, where he later became a machinist at Ames Foundry
Ames Manufacturing Company
Ames Manufacturing Company has its origins in blacksmith and founder, Captain John Ames, who in 1774, made some of the first manufactured shovels in what would emerge as the new, United States of America. The company was founded in 1791 at their factory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts...
. He showed considerable talent in mechanics, and later became a designer of machinery at Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
.
In 1874, he went to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. By 1880, he had returned east to Hartford, and was married to Harriet Josephine Gerhardt, who came from Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Dalton is the transition town between the urban and rural pieces of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,892 at the 2000 census.- History...
. He worked for a spell as chief machinist at the Pratt and Whitney Machine Tool Company
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems is a multinational corporation that specializes in producing high-precision measuring instruments and systems.-History:...
in Hartford and pursued sculpting in his leisure hours.
His first works were a bust of his wife and “A Startled Bather.” He was so successful at sculpting, that in 1881 Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
financed a trip to study in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the École des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
. In Paris his work was exhibited in the salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
and won prizes. In 1884 he exhibited at the salon “Echo,” a statuette, and “Eve's Lullaby,” a life-size group.
His works included busts of Gen. U. S. Grant, Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
(1886), Samuel L. Clemens (1883), and others; statues of Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British...
(1885), in the Connecticut State capitol; Gen. Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam was an American army general and Freemason who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War...
(1887) at Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
; Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett was an American physician and statesman, delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire and signatory of the Declaration of Independence...
(1888), signer of the Declaration of Independence, in Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
; Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren
Gouverneur K. Warren
Gouverneur Kemble Warren was a civil engineer and prominent general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
at Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
in Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
(1888); tablet to John Fitch
John Fitch (inventor)
John Fitch was an American inventor, clockmaker, and silversmith who, in 1787, built the first recorded steam-powered boat in the United States...
, in the state capitol in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
(1888); and Welton Fountain (1888), Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
.
Gerhardt's wife died in 1897. They had two children. In 1908, he was living in New Orleans, and by 1920 he had moved to Shreveport, Louisiana.