Massachusetts State House
Part 3 of 4: The North Annex by Brigham
The North Annex by the architect Charles Brigham, includes the most elaborate sections in the State House, with beautifully decorated interiors and a large collections of historical sculptures and murals.
The primary areas in the Annex for touring are Nurses Hall, Memorial Hall, a Grand Staircase, and the Great Hall of Flags on the second floor, and the House of Representatives Chamber, and the State Library on the third floor. As mentioned in part 2, the visitor entrance is on the east side basement level, so you will take one of the elevators or the Grand Staircase up to the second floor to begin your tour.
Nurses Hall
Nurses Hall includes a number of sculptures from the Civil War and post war era, and derives its name from the primary sculpture in the Hall.
Civil War Army Nurses Memorial, depicts a nurse tending to a fallen soldier. The memorial was sculpted by Bella Pratt in 1911.
Bela Lyon Pratt, 1867 to 1917, was born in Connecticut and studied at the Yale University School of Fine Arts. He continued his education with the Art Students League of New York where he studied under many notable artists including Augustus Saint-Gaudens who became his mentor. From there he went to Paris and trained under several sculptors at the École des Beaux-Arts.He returned to the United States in 1892, where he taught at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
There are several niches in the walls with busts and statues of people important to Massachusetts history.
William Francis Bartlett, 1840 to 1876, was born in Haverhill Massachusetts and studied at Harvard University. He left Harvard to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War rising to the rank of general. His statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1905.
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, 1902 to 1985, served in the Army during World War II, followed by a political career in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the US House, and the US Senate. He then took positions as US Ambassador to West Germany, South Vietnam, and the United Nations. His bust was sculpted by Philip S. Sears in 1929.
Henry Cabot Lodge Sr, 1850 to 1924, served in the Massachusetts House of Representative, and as a US Representative and US Senator. As a Senator he was influential in the creation of the United Nations. His bust was sculpted by Philip S. Sears in 1929.
The sculptors for Bartlet was Daniel French, and for Lodge Junior and Senior by sculptor Philip Sears.
Daniel Chester French was the sculptor for this statue of William Bartlet, and the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker at the East Wing Hooker Entrance in Part 1.
Philip Shelton Sears, 1867 to 1953, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied at Harvard University. In addition to sculpting he was an avid tennis player, and was part of the art competitions at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics.
Above the Hall are three murals depicting the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, James Otis arguing against the Writs of Assistance, and the Boston Tea Party.
The medallions between the paintings are that of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The mural grouping is by Robert Reid with assistance from Edward Trumbull in 1901 to 1904.
Paul Revere’s Ride depicts Revere’s midnight ride on the eve of the American Revolution to warn patriots that the British were coming.
James Otis Arguing Against the Writs of Assistance in the Old Towne House, depicts James Otis confronting Chief Justice Thomas Hutchinson and other judges over the legality of the Writs that permitted the arbitrary search and seizure of Colonial property by agents of the King. The outrage of these events led to the pursuit of American independence and later the fourth Amendment to the US Constitution.
The Boston Tea Party depicts one of the first deliberate acts of resistance to British rule when colonist dumped 45 tons of tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the British Tax without representation. The British Parliament responded harshly by trying to close the port leading to fears of more closure attempts up and down the east coast. The colonist response led to the formation of the Continental Congress.
Robert Lewis Reid, 1862 to 1929, was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and studied at Philips Academy, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Students League in New York City, and in 1885 in Paris at the Académie Julian under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre. He returned to New York in 1889 and worked as a portraitist and as an instructor at the Art Students League and at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Edward Trumbull, 1884 to 1968, was born in Michigan and grew up in Stonington, Connecticut. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City, and became known for his Art Deco projects and large murals.
There are three sculpted plaques honoring Henry Endicott, Norman Prince, and Clarissa Barton.
Henry Bradford Endicott, 1857 to 1920, was a humanitarian, and the state and federal food administrator during World War I. His relief was sculpted by Henry Kitson.
Norman Prince, 1887 to 1916, was born in Beverly Massachusetts, and served with the French Army during World War I. He was an aviator and noted as a leading founder of the Lafayette Escadrille, composed primarily of American volunteer pilots flying fighter planes. He was severely injured and died after a crash landing on return from a wartime mission. His relief was sculpted by John Paramino.
Clarissa Harlowe Barton, 1821 to 1912, was from Oxford Massachusetts, was a teacher, nurse, advocate for women’s rights, founder of the American Red Cross. Her relief was sculpted by Robert Shure.
The sculptors for Endicott, Prince, and Shure were Henry Kitson, John Paramino, and Robert Shure.
Henry Hudson Kitson, 1863 to 1947, was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, and immigrated to the United States in 1877. Kitson apprenticed with his oldest brother, sculptor John William Kitson, in the architectural sculptures firm of Ellin and Kitson. In 1882 he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Marie Bonnassieux, and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. He returned to New York City, and then Boston to a studio with his brother Samuel James Kitson.
John Francis Paramino, 1888 to 1956, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He became a studio assistant to Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Bela Lyon Pratt, and completed many sculptural works in the Boston area.
Robert Shure, was born in 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at the New York Institute of Technology, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and Tufts University. He was an assistant to Arcangelo Cascieri and Adio di Biccari, and became a noted sculptor, and an expert in the restoration and reproduction of older sculptures. His studio is located in Woburn Massachusetts.
Two additional plaques commemorate war veterans.
Nelson Appleton Miles, 1839 to 1925, was from Westminster Massachusetts. He served during the Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish American War. His relief was sculpted by John Paramino.
World War I Veterans Memorial, includes a relief sculpted by Emilius Ciampa.
The sculptors for Miles was John Paramino, who also sculpted the Norman Prince plaque above. The World War I veterans plaque was sculpted by Emilius Ciampa.
Emilius Ciampa, 1896 to 1996, was born in Taurasi Italy, and immigrated with his family to Boston in 1906. He studied at the North Bennet Street Industrial School, the Belle Arti School, Copley Art Studio, the Butera Art School, and the Normal Art School now known as the Massachusetts College of Art. In 1917 he opened a studio, but in 1918 he became a soldier serving in France during World War I as part of a camouflage unit for his artistic abilities. After the war he returned to Boston and opened another studio, then in 1922 moved to Florida and then Cuba. By 1941 he was completing commissions from Massachusetts, and returned to Boston where he completed many significant military related memorials.
At the entrance to Memorial Hall from the Nurses Hall are two life size reliefs of John Winslow and Thomas Stevenson.
John Ancrum Winslow, 1811 to 1873, fought in the Mexican War and the Civil War in the Navy patrolling for Confederate ships. After engaging with and sinking the Alabama in 1864 he was promoted to Commodore, and later Rear Admiral over the Pacific fleet. His relief was sculpted by William Couper in 1909.
Thomas Greely Stevenson, 1836 to 1864, was a member of the New England Guards from Boston, and later the 24th Volunteers. He was noted for his bravery in the Battle of the Wilderness, and was shot and killed by a sniper while in the line of service. His relief was sculpted by Bella Pratt in 1905.
The sculptors for Winslow and Stevenson were William Couper, and Bella Pratt
William Couper, 1853 to 1942, was born in Norfolk, Virginia and studied in Munich and Florence, where he set up a studio and worked for many years. In 1897 he returned to New York City and set up a studio with his father-in-law, Thomas Ball, and became known for his many winged allegorical sculptures.
Bella Lyons Pratt was the sculptor for this relief of Thomas Stevenson, and the Civil War Army Nurses Memorial.
Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall was completed in 1900 and has been noted as the most costly of its time due to the elaborate artistic works found in the interior finishes, sculptures, and murals.
At the entrances from Nurses Hall to Memorial Hall are two busts of Samuel McCall and John Adams.
Samuel Walker McCall, 1851 to 1923, served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and then in the US House and as Governor. He was Governor during World War I and was instrumental in directing Massachusetts response to the war effort. His bust was sculpted by Cartaino Paolo in 1917.
John Adams, 1735 to 1826, was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, and served as a Chief Justice in Massachusetts, the first US Minister to Great Britain and the Netherlands, the first Vice President, and second President of the United States. His bust was sculpted by John F. Paramino in 1924.
The sculptors for the McCall and Adams busts were Cartaino Paulo, and John Paramino.
Cartaino Sciarrino Paulo, 1882 to 1955, was born in Palermo, Italy, and was an active sculptor in New York City.
John Francis Paramino was the sculptor for this bust of John Adams and the memorial plaque in the Nurses Hall of Norman Prince.
There are four murals in the upper gallery that depict significant events in Massachusetts history. The first two scenes are during colonization.
Pilgrims on the Mayflower, 1620, depicts the Pilgrims first sighting of the New World with two angels above watching over them. The mural was created by Henry Oliver Walker in 1902.
John Eliot Preaching to the Indians, 1646, depicts John Eliot, 1604 to 1690, who was born in Hertfordshire England, and immigrated to Boston in 1631. He became a pastor at the Puritan Church in Roxbury, and was one of the first missionaries to the Native Americans, first preaching in English, but soon learning their Algonquin language. The first printing of the Bible in the Colonies was his translation in the Algonquin language for the local Native Americans. The mural was created by artist Henry Oliver Walker in 1903.
Henry Oliver Walker, 1843 to 1929, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1882 he returned to Boston and then New York City where he set up a studio. In 1888 he moved his studio to Cornish, New Hampshire, and became a part of the Cornish Art Colony, which included many other well known artist.
Two additional murals depict events during the American Revolution and the Civil War.
Battle at Concord Bridge, 1775, depicts the Colonist confronting the British at Concord where they had been searching for supplies. The British were outnumbered at the Concord Bridge and driven back to Boston. The battle is noted as among the first shots fired in the American Revolutionary War. The mural was created by artist Edward Simmons in 1902.
Return of the Colors to the Custody of the Commonwealth, 1865, depicts the Massachusetts regiments at the end of the Civil War, returning to the State House with their battle flags, where their wartime governor, John Andrews, received them for preservation and the memory of their sacrifice. The mural was created by artist Edward Simmons in 1902.
Edward Emerson Simmons, 1852 to 1931, was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and studied at Harvard College, and in Paris with Jules Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger. In 1894 he obtained a significant commission through the Municipal Art Society for murals in the New York Supreme Courthouse, leading to more work in New York and Washington DC.
The skylight above Memorial Hall forms circular stained glass panels which display the state seals from the original 13 states, with the Massachusetts state seal in the middle. The stained glass panels were created by Edwin Ford and Frederick Brooks in 1899.
Ford and Brooks Stained Glass Studio, was owned by Edwin Ford and Frederick Brooks. Their studio was in Boston from about 1887 to 1905, where they produced numerous works for local residents, churches, and public buildings.
In the niches between Memorial Hall and the Grand Staircase, are two busts honoring Oliver Ames and Frederic Greenhalge.
Oliver Ames, 1831 to 1895, was a politician serving Massachusetts in the state senate, and as Lieutenant Governor, and Governor. He took over his father’s businesses and became a significant philanthropist and owner of some significant architectural works by H H Richardson, and Frederick Olmsted. His bust was sculpted by Robert Kraus in 1890.
Frederic Thomas Greenhalge, 1842 to 1896, was born in Britain but became a politician serving Massachusetts in their House of Representatives, the US House of Representatives, and as Governor. His bust was sculpted by Samuel Kitson in 1895.
The sculptors for the Ames and Greenhalge busts were Adolph Kraus, and Samuel Kitson.
Adolph Robert Kraus, 1850 to 1901, was born in Zeulenroda, Germany, and opened a studio at a young age. In 1873 he studied in Rome under Emilio Wolf, and the Royal Institute for Fine Arts. He immigrated to the United States in 1881 and completed many works in the Boston area.
Samuel James Kitson, 1848 to 1906, was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. He studied at the Accademia di San Luca and in 1873 established a studio their in Rome. In 1878 he traveled in Boston and New York where he picked up a few commissions, and then finally in 1881 he moved his studio to New York. In 1888 after his older brother John died, he joined with his younger brother Henry in his Boston studio.
Grand Staircase
The Grand Staircase leads up to the third floor where the House of Representatives Chamber is located, along with the Governor’s and Senate Chambers.
From the Grand Staircase looking back toward Memorial Hall is one additional bust.
William Eustis Russell, 1857 to 1896, was a lawyer and politician serving Massachusetts on the Common Council and Board of Aldermen in Cambridge, Mayor of Cambridge, and Governor. His bust was sculpted by Richard E. Brooks in 1893.
Richard Edwin Brooks, 1865 to 1919, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, and studied under T H Bartlett in Boston, and Jean-Paul Aubé and Jean-Antoine Injalbert in Paris. Brooks is noted for many public works in Boston, Connecticut, Maryland, and Seattle.
Additional memorials in the Grand Staircase Hall include that of Curtis Guild and other sculptures and murals on the upper levels.
The Curtis Guild Memorial honors Curtis Guild Jr., 1860 to 1915, who served in the war with Spain, as Governor of Massachusetts, and as an Ambassador to Mexico and Russia. The Italian Renaissance style memorial is made of Numidian marble and Istrian stone with bronze inlay. It was designed by Cram and Ferguson, with sculptor Richard Recchia, and fabricated by the John Evans Shop in 1915.
Cram and Ferguson Architects was established in 1889 and is still in business today. The overall design for this memorial was likely done by Ralph Adams Cram, 1863 to 1942. Cram was noted for his many Gothic architectural style churches, and the firm is noted for their continuation of classical architectural styles in America.
Richard Henry Recchia, 1885 to 1983, was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, and studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and served as an assistant to Bela Pratt. He is noted for completing many sculptural works in the Boston area.
The Grand Staircase Hall includes several sculptural groupings and murals honoring the Veterans of several Massachusetts regiments. At the center is the Roger Wolcott memorial.
Roger Wolcott, 1847 to 1900, governor, served in the war with Spain in 1898. His statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1906.
Daniel Chester French was the sculptor for this memorial for Roger Wolcott, the statue of William Bartlet in Nurses Hall, and the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker at the East Wing Hooker Entrance in Part 1.
To each side of the Wolcott memorial are four murals that depict the regiments from Massachusetts that fought in the Civil War and later the Spanish American War. They were created by muralist Richard Andrew in 1927 to 1931.
Marching Through Baltimore 1861, depicts Massachusetts’ 6th Regiment entering into the Civil War to defend the Union as they did their own at Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.
Landing in Porto Rico 1898, depicts the 6th Regiment landing and entering the territory to extend the jurisdiction of the United States and bring an end to Spain’s colonial empire in the western hemisphere.
Record of Duty I, declares the formation of the Massachusetts 6th Regiment, which began in 1778 from those that had served as minutemen and militia from Middlesex and surrounding counties. Then in 1861 they continued in service at the call for volunteers by President Lincoln to defend the Union. There first encounter in the Civil War was a mob in Baltimore while in route to Washington.
Record of Duty II, records the 6th Regiments continued service when in 1898 President McKinley called for troops to support their first foreign service by the removal of Spain’s colonial rule over Cuba and Porto Rico. Then in 1917 the 6th Regiment joined up with other units to form the American Expeditionary Forces that went to Europe and assisted with the recovery of lands taken by Germany.
World War I Memorials
Three murals honor the sacrifices Massachusetts veterans made during World War I. These were also created by muralist Richard Andrew in 1927 to 1931.
Decoration of the Colors, depicts the 104th US Regiment displaying their flag from Massachusetts, and decorated by France in 1918 in honor and appreciation for their service in World War I. They were again decorated in 1945 at the end of World War II.
The 26th Infantry Division from Massachusetts is honored here for their service in World War I and World War II as part of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Richard Andrew, 1869 to 1956, was born in Belfast, Ireland, and became a department head at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston. He became noted for his many murals, landscapes, and portraits.
Two additional World War I murals were created by artist Edward Brodney from 1936 to 1938.
Columbia Knighting her World War Disabled, honors the patriotism of those that fought in World War I and returned suffering with injuries and disabilities.
The War Mothers, honors those at home during World War I that lost their husbands and sons in the war.
Edward Brodney, 1910 to 2002, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and became noted for his World War I paintings and murals. He served in the South Pacific during World War II, and opened an art gallery and studio after the war continuing his drawings, paintings, and murals from the war experience.
The Palladian style stained glass window on the stair landing depicts the evolution of the state seal, and the coat of arms for several Governors from Colonial times. Above the staircase is a skylight surrounded by a fresco of important individuals in Massachusetts history.
All the murals throughout the building are oil paints on canvas applied to the walls, except the ceiling over the Grand Staircase. The ceiling around the skylight is an exception. It is a fresco-secco cartouches by Frank Hill Smith completed in 1894. The fresco includes depictions of Samuel Adams, James Otis, John Hancock, and Joseph Warren.
Frank Hill Smith, 1842 to 1904, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied architecture with Hammatt Billings and John Thorndike, and art at the Académie Suisse in Paris under Léon Bonnet. Smith became a noted Fresco Painter, and created many interior decorative works in fresco, landscape paintings, and designs in stained glass, fabrics, and a variety of materials.
The upper level of the stair gallery overlooks the Grand Staircase and the Great Hall beyond.
Great Hall
The Great Hall is used for state functions and contains the flags from all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The space was originally an open courtyard in the center of the building. In 1999 the space was enclosed with hearing rooms on the first floor, the Great Hall entrances on the second floor, and open space up to an atrium roof above. In the center is a suspended clock designed by Ronald M Fischer in 1990. The clock is an abstract sculpture depicting pieces of Massachusetts history that continue over time, such as the dome, and forms like a lantern and lighthouse.
Ronald M. Fischer, was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1947, and studied at Long Island University, and the San Francisco Art Institute. He has become a noted mixed media artist for his functional and utilitarian sculptures, and monumental architectural sculpture works.
House of Representatives Chamber
The House Chamber is located on the west side of the Brigham building completed in 1895. It includes desks for its 160 members, with interior finishes made from hand carved Honduran Mahogany. There are five murals circling the room that are capped with a frieze of names, honoring Massachusetts’ natives from all walks of life. The murals were created by Albert Herter in 1942, and depict Milestones on the Road to Freedom in Massachusetts.
1630: Governor Winthrop at Salem Bringing the Charter of the Bay Colony to Massachusetts, depicts Governor John Winthrop, on the left being greeted by John Endecott, the governor for the previous five years, with the governor’s ships being unloaded in the background. Winthrop brought with him the Charter from King Charles I that formally established the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1697: Dawn of Tolerance in Massachusetts: Public Repentance of Judge Samuel Sewall, depicts Samuel Sewall reading his penance to a gathering in the Old South Church in Boston. Sewall was a local magistrate who had recently sentenced 19 people to death for witchcraft, a sentence deemed to be wrong and later reversed, but too late for those convicted. Others still awaiting trial were released with all charges dropped.
1788: John Hancock Proposing the Addition of the Bill of Rights to the Federal Constitution, depicts John Hancock speaking to a gathering to propose the Bill of Rights as the first amendments to the Constitution. Some states were withholding their approval of the Constitution until it was understood that this Bill of Rights would be first on the agenda as Amendments to the Constitution.
1779: John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin Drafting the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, depicts John Adams, seated, reviewing the draft Constitution they had prepared for Massachusetts, which provided a framework for the US Constitution in 1788.
1689: Revolt Against Autocratic Government in Massachusetts: The Arrest of Governor Andros, depicts the governor Sir Edmund Andros, being arrested for his autocratic rule over the Colonies through King James II. When the king was overthrown in 1689, the colonist took back their independence and established a new charter in 1691.
Albert Herter, 1871 to 1950, was born in New York City, and studied at the Art Students League, and in Paris with Jean-Paul Laurens and Fernand Cormon. He created the murals for the House Chamber in 1942 while his son Christian Herter was a Massachusetts State Representative who went on to become Governor.
There are two large paintings along the walls depicting important scenes in history.
The 94th Infantry Division Memorial, is a World War II painting depicting Charles Smith with the 94th receiving a Silver Star from Lieutenant General George Patton. The 94th Infantry Division was formed in Massachusetts in 1918 and reactivated in 1942 serving in France, Luxembourg, Germany, and Czechoslovakia from 1944 to 1946. The painting was created by artist William Foley in 2002.
William Arthur Foley Jr., 1926 to 2020, was born in Edgewater, New Jersey, and served as an Infantry Rifleman in General Patton’s Ghost Corps. After the war he studied at Newark of Fine and Industrial Arts. Foley was able to save a notebook from the war where he had produced numerous sketches of events he witnessed, and went on to produce many wartime paintings and murals based on those sketches and memories.
Notable Women of Boston, depicts Anne Hutchinson, Phillis Wheatle, Sister Ann Alexis, Lucy Stone, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen Richards, Mary Morton Kehew, Anne Sullivan, and Melnea Cass. All were notable women from Massachusetts history that served in various roles from the 1700s to the 1900s. The painting was created by artist Ellen Lanyon in 1980.
Ellen Lanyon, 1926 to 2013, was born in Chicago and studied at the Ox-Bow School of Art in Michigan, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History, and at the Courtauld Art Institute at the University of London. Her paintings and murals on a wide variety of subjects has been described as Surrealist, and Magical Realist works of art.
In addition to this mural on Notable Women, there is a Women’s Memorial near Doric Hall that was not accessible on this visit. It features a relief sculpture grouping titled Hear Us, and includes historical information on Florence Luscomb, Mary Kenney O’Sullivan, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Sarah Parker Remond, Lucy Stone, and Dorothea Lynde Dix. Hear Us was designed and sculpted by Sheila Levant de Bretteville and Susan Sellers in 1999.
State Library
The State Library was established in 1826, and is known as the George Fingold Memorial Library in honor of Attorney General Fingold.
George Fingold, 1908 to 1958, was a lawyer and politician, and served on the Malden City Council, as Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County, as the Commonwealth’s Assistant District Attorney, and as Massachusetts Attorney General. Fingold died while running for Governor. His relief was sculpted by Ralph Cooper in 1960.
Ralph Cooper, 1902 to 1975, was born in Russia and came to the United States as a child. He became an authority on upholstered furnishings and had an impact on both state and federal laws impacting materials and manufacturing. In addition, he was a sculptor and produced a number of reliefs like the Fingold relief for public and private facilities.
The stained glass skylights, and the stained glass fan lights over the windows were designed by the architect Charles Brigham, and crafted by the Lewis F. Perry Painting and Decorating Firm.
There are several busts in the library of prominent individuals in Massachusetts history and our democracy. They include Theodore Roosevelt, John Long, and Marcus Cicero.
Theodore Roosevelt, 1858 to 1919, was an author, conservationist, explorer, historian, politician and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He graduated from Harvard College in Boston, and served in the New York Army National Guard, the New York State Assembly, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, Vice President and then President of the United States after William McKinley was assassinated. His bust was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum in 1919.
John Davis Long, 1838 to 1915, was a lawyer and politician. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as Lieutenant Governor, in the US House, as Governor of Massachusetts, and as Secretary of the Navy during the Spanish-American War. His bust was sculpted by Pierre Millet.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106 to 43 BC, was a Roman statesman and orator, representing one of the earliest democracies. His bust was sculpted by an unknown artist with an inscription Ciceron Buste / Antique Musee Capitole, indicating that it is a copy from a classical bust in the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
The sculptors of the Roosevelt and Long busts were John Borglum and Pierre Millet.
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum, 1867 to 1941, was born in Saint Charles, in the Idaho Territory, and studied at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art, the Académie Julian École des Beaux-Arts, and the California School of Design. Borglum became a noted sculptor in New York, along with his brother Solon, and later became known for his work on Theodore Roosevelt at Mount Rushmore.
Pierre Millet, 1833 to 1914, is believed to have been an active sculptor in the Boston area from 1880 to 1894.
Three additional busts in the library are of Arthur Fuller, Caleb Tillinghast, and George Hoar.
Arthur Buckminster Chaplin Fuller, 1822 to 1862, served as Chaplain for the Massachusetts House and Senate, and with the 16th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War, where he was killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg. His bust is believed to have been sculpted by George Bartlett in 1863.
Caleb B. Tillinghast, 1843 to 1909, was the State Librarian from 1879 to 1909. His bust was sculpted by Paul A. Garey in 1900.
George Frisbie Hoar, 1825 to 1904, was an attorney and politician who served in the Massachusetts House and Senate, and in the US House and Senate representing Massachusetts. He was an abolitionist and openly defied laws he felt were discriminatory. His bust was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1908.
No background information was found on the sculptors George H. Bartlett or Paul A. Garey.
Daniel Chester French was the sculptor for the George Hoar bust, and the memorial for Roger Wolcott, the statue of William Bartlet in Nurses Hall, and the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker at the East Wing Hooker Entrance in Part 1.
Commentary
It seems odd that the State Library would be called the George Fingold Memorial Library when Fingold was responsible for banning books. While serving as Attorney General he banned the comic book Panic from sales within the State, stating that it desecrated Christmas by depicting it in a pagan manner. The publisher stopped distribution in Massachusetts along with other publications in protest even though it was not clear what laws were being violated. In my opinion the library should be named after Tillinghast, whose bust was done by Paul Garey in 1900, and who was probably the longest serving librarian at that time.
If you missed it, Part 1 looked at the exterior architecture and sculpture on the grounds, and Part 2 looked at the interior architecture and sculpture of the original State House by Charles Bulfinch. Next is the final section, Part 4, with a tour of the Old State House located a few blocks to the east, built in 1713.
Travel Notes
On my third visit to the State House I returned in 2024 to pick up a few more images that I had missed previously. It was a beautiful, but cool day, and so I made it down to the Boston Public Library and a few stops on the Freedom Trail too.
I have found that the parking garage under the Boston Common is the best place to park. It is easy to get in and out, spacious parking, secure, and convenient to the State House, downtown, and the Freedom Trail. Also, if you go down toward the library, be sure to check out Tatte Bakery and Cafe. It’s a great place for coffee, breakfast, or lunch!
Notes and References:
Story and photographs by David Smitherman with data collected from onsite inscriptions and brochures, Wikipedia, Google Lens, and Google Maps. Site visits were made in March 2021, May 2022, and November 2024.
PARAMINO, John Francis
PARAMINO, John Francis (1888-1956) sculptor, medalist.
dickjohnsonsdatabank.com
Richard Edwin Brooks: https://www.publicartct.org/artists/richard-e-brooks-2/
Cram and Ferguson Architects: https://www.cramandferguson.com/
Frank Hill Smith: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fayfamily/genealogy/frankhillsmith.html