Q. David Bowers
Fraser's first widely acclaimed work was a medallion portrait of the Brewster child exhibited at the National Academy in 1902, which brought him several commissions and launched his eminently successful career. His sculptures include The End of the Trail (for which he won a $1,000 prize while in his twenties; the work was quite possibly inspired by his experiences as a youth in the 1880s in the Indian district of South Dakota; the sculpture was purchased by the town of Visalia, California), sculptures of an Indian and a seated figure of Thomas Jefferson for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the Robert Todd Lincoln sarcophagus at Arlington National Cemetery (and the symbolic figures on the Arlington Memorial Bridge), and statues for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York City), U.S. Treasury Building in Washington (a monument of Alexander Hamilton), Bank of Montreal, the 1939 World's Fair (New York City), and many more including large statues of George Washington, John Ericsson, Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln (displayed at the eastern end of the Lincoln Highway in Jersey City, New Jersey), and Gen. George Patton.
For the Hall of Fame he produced a bust of his mentor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, James Earle Fraser's equestrian grouping at the Lincoln Memorial Circle in Washington, D. C. was a gift from Italy to the United States in 1951. During the period 1906-1908 he was an instructor in sculpture at the Art Students League, New York City. In 1910 a group of Fraser's medals were exhibited at the Brussels International Exposition and were subsequently purchased by the Belgian government for its museum in Ghent. The Italian government bought a group of his medals for display in Rome.
In 1913 he designed the Indian ("Buffalo") nickel five-cent piece. In 1925 he created the motifs for the octagonal Norse-American Centennial silver and gold medals (the Norse-American Centennial, Inc. wanted a coin, but Congress granted a medal instead; medals were struck at the Philadelphia Mint). From 1925 to 1927 he was president of the National Sculpture Society, and in 1926-1927 he was vice president of the American Institute of Arts and Letters. For many years James Earle Fraser served as a member of the Commission of Fine Arts, where he was in a position to recommend commissions to his friends.
His wife, Laura Gardin Fraser (see listing below), whom he married in New York City on November 13, 1913, was a well known sculptress, having learned the art under his guidance. The couple had no children. Their studio was maintained in Westport, Connecticut. So excellent was their work that historian Don Taxay dedicated his book, An Illustrated History of U.S..Commemorative Coinage, as follows: "To the late James and Laura Fraser who did so much to elevate the art of American coinage." Fraser died in Westport on October 11, 1953.
Commemorative credits: 1924 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary half dollar (modified designs created by George T. Morgan), 1926-1939 Oregon Trail half dollar (with Laura Gardin Fraser).
FRASER, Juliette May
Juliette May Fraser, who became known as a portraitist and illustrator, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 27, 1887. She studied at Wellesley College and at the Art Students League on the mainland, and in her native city at the University of Hawaii. Most of her professional life was spent in the place of her birth, although she was also a frequent exhibitor in California. Her art can be seen at the Library of Hawaii, St. Andrew's Cathedral, the Board of Water Supply, the Mid-Pacific Institute, and the University of Hawaii (mosaic mural in Bilger Hall), all in Honolulu, and the Hawaii Building (San Francisco).
One of her specialities was the painting of murals for private homes. She illustrated many books including Legendes Hawaiiennes (1932), Ghost Dog (1944), and Outdoors in Hawaii (five-volume series, 1948). Miss Fraser wrote and illustrated Ke Avenue, 1952, which was selected as one of the 50 best books of the year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Beginning in 1960 she was art critic for the Honolulu Star Bulletin. She participated in many exhibits and was a member of several societies in Hawaii.
Commemorative credit: 1928 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial half dollar (her models were altered by Chester Beach, who signed the obverse die).
FRASER, Laura Gardin
Born in Chicago, the daughter of John Emil and Alice (Tilton) Gardin, on September 14, 1889, Laura Gardin was educated in public schools in Rye, New York and at the Horace Mann School in New York City. She began her study of sculpture at the age of 18 with James Earle Fraser (whom she later married on November 17, 1913; see biography above) at the Art Students League in New York City. During World War I she served as captain of the ambulance division of the Motor Corps of America.
She became well known for her studies of wildlife, for her portrait sculpture, and as a medalist. Laura Gardin Fraser was awarded the Saltus Medal (for outstanding work in medallic art) by the American Numismatic Society in 1926, and was the recipient of numerous honors given by the National Academy of Design. Her bust of Gilbert Stuart is in the Hall of Fame. She created a number of large sculptures including an equestrian statue in Baltimore, the Grape Baby fountain (Rose Garden, Delaware Park, Buffalo, New York), and a work displayed at Brookgreen Gardens (South Carolina).
Among her many medallic works was the congressional medal in honor of Charles A. Lindbergh's transatlantic flight in 1927. With her husband (who predeceased her by 12 years) she maintained a studio in Westport, Connecticut. Mrs. Fraser's final work was the fulfillment of a commission for three large bronze panels for the library at the West Point Military Academy. Her death occurred in Norwalk, Connecticut on August 13, 1966. She was survived by two sisters.
Commemorative credits: 1921 Alabama Centennial half dollar, 1922 Grant Memorial half dollar, 1922 Grant Memorial gold dollar, 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial half dollar (she revised designs created by Sidney Bell), 1926-1939 Oregon Trail half dollar (with James Earle Fraser).