Alexander Milne Calder (1846 – 1923) was a American sculptor.

Biography

Alexander Calder was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of a tombstone carver. He began his career in Scotland, working for sculptor John Rhind, the father of sculptor J Massey Rhind while attending the Royal Academy in Edinburgh. He moved to London and worked on the Albert Memorial. Calder immigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in Philadelphia, where he took classes (as would his son Alexander Stirling Calder) with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy. In 1873 he was hired by architect John McArthur to produce models for the sculpture for the Philadelphia City Hall. This task was to occupy Calder for the next 20 years. Both his son, Alexander Stirling Calder and his grandson Alexander Calder were to become significant sculptors in the 20th century.

Notable Works

• Philadelphia City Hall, John McArthur architect, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1873 – 1893
• General Meade. West Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1887
• William Penn, 37 foot tall figure on top of Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania placed in 1894
• William Warner Tomb, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1889

Images

Sources

• Bach, Penny Balkin, Public Art in Philadelphia, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992 ISBN 92011735
• Craven, Wayne, Sculpture in America, Thomas Y Crowell Co, NY, NY 1968 ISBN 68021611
• Fairmont Park Association, Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze and Stone, Walker Publishing Co., Inc, NY. NY 1974 ISBN 74079214
• Hayes, Margaret Calder Three Alexander Calders, Paul S Eriksson Publisher, Middlebury, Vermont, 1977 ISBN 77079244
• Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture of America, unpublished manuscript
• Williams, Oliver P., County Courthouses of Pennsylvania: A Guide, Stackpole Books, Machanicsburg, PA 2001 ISBN 00069821