Commemoration. Sculpture in the United States began as a craft rather than as an art. Most early-nineteenthcentury American sculptors were stonecutters who specialized in tombstone production or wood-carvers who specialized in furniture decoration. Since local sculptors lacked classical training, Americans who wanted to commemorate Revolutionary heroes and founding fathers had to offer commissions for monuments and statues to European sculptors. In 1784 the Virginia State Assembly awarded the commission for a statue of George Washington to French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. For the U.S. Capitol, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Latrobe arranged in 1805 to have two Italian sculptors brought to America to complete the detailed work required. The desire to honor and memorialize great Americans through sculpture eventually helped to legitimize sculpture as a form of high art in the United States.

European Training. By 1825 Americans were beginning to travel to Europe to study sculpture under masters...