Carl H. Conrads (February 26, 1839 in Breisig, Germany - May 24, 1920 in Hartford, Connecticut)[1] was an American sculptor best known for his work on Civil War monuments and his two works in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. He was also known as Charles Conrads.[2]
He was born in Sinzig-on-the-Rhine, the son of Heinrich Joseph Conrads and Johanna Maria Catherina Fleischer. His father was mayor of their town until removed from office by the Prussians in 1850. In 1853 his parents and brother Robert emigrated to Texas, where they became farmers and furnituremakers.[3] Carl remained in Munich and received a diploma from the Koeniglich Bayerische Akademie der Bildenden Kunste.[2] He emigrated to New York in 1860,[4] and served as an artilleryman in the 20th New York Volunteers during the American Civil War.[5] He moved to Hartford, Connecticut in 1866 to work for James G. Batterson at the New England Granite Works, where he worked until 1903.[2]
A reference from 1879:
Another German artist, Carl Conrads, has been for twelve years connected with the Hartford Granite Company [sic]. He is perhaps over-modest regarding his work as a sculptor, which is surely very good of its kind. Among his best designs are the figures on the Antietam Monument. In 1871 he returned to Munich for a short visit, availing himself of the opportunity for still further study. As a designer of monuments, his work stands high.[6]
Sculptor and sculpture historian Lorado Taft said of him: "a German of good training, has identified himself with sculpture in granite, and has done much creditable work well adapted to the requirements of that ungrateful material."[7]
Noteworthy among his granite works are his colossal American Volunteer statue at Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland; his seated figure of Morality on the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts - "said to be the largest solid granite monument in the world;"[8] and his Alexander Hamilton statue in Central Park, New York City.[9]
Conrads is buried in West Hartford, Connecticut; his grave is marked with a simple stone.
| Title | Image | Year | Location/GPS Coordinates | Material | Dimensions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldiers' Monument[30] | 1868 | Granby Green, 3 East Granby Road, Granby, Connecticut | Brownstone | Statue: Monument: approx. 21 ft (6.4 m) | George Keller, architect Part of Granby Center Historic District. | ||
| Forlorn Soldier Statue[31] | 1866-1869 | Connecticut State Capitol, Hartford | Brownstone from quarry in Portland, CT | Statue: Monument: | Contractor: Batterson's Monumental Works Sculptor: Charles Conrads | ||
| Knight Hospital Monument[32] | 1870 | Evergreen Cemetery, 92 Winthrop Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut | Granite | Statue: Monument: approx. 26 ft (7.92 m) | Dedicated to the 204 Union soldiers who died while in the hospital's care. | ||
| Soldiers' Monument[33] | 1872 | Main & Bartlett Streets, Portland, Connecticut | Brownstone | Statue: Monument: 33 ft (10.06 m) | |||
| Soldiers' Monument [34] | 1873 | Meriden City Hall, East Main & Catlin Streets, Meriden, Connecticut | Granite | Statue: 7 ft (2.13 m) Monument: approx. 45 ft (13.72 m) | |||
| The Soldiers' Monument[35] | 1875 | Chelsea Parade Green, Washington & Williams Streets, Norwich, Connecticut | Granite | Statue: 12 ft (3.66 m) Monument: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) | Octagonal pedestal. | ||
| The American Volunteer (statue), U.S. Soldier Monument[36] [37] | 1876 Dedicated 1880 | Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, Maryland | Granite | Statue: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) Monument: 44 ft 7 in (13.59 m) | Conrads, sculptor; James W. Pollette, carver; George Keller, architect. The American Volunteer was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. | ||
| Soldiers Monument[38] | 1876 | Courthouse Park, Cortland County Courthouse, Cortland, New York | Bronze statue Granite pedestal | "Centennial Offering of Cortland County in Memory of Those Who Fought in Defence of the Union 1861. 1865. - A. D. 1876." Signed: C. Conrads. | |||
| Soldiers' Monument[39] | 1876 Dedicated 1877 | Center Park, Main & Center Streets, Manchester, Connecticut | Bronze statue Granite pedestal | Statue: Monument: approx. 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) | Signed C. Conrads 1876 Geo.Fischer & Bro. Bronze Foundry. N.Y. At base of granite monument: "In memory of the soldiers of Manchester who died in the War of the Rebellion 1861 - 1865" | ||
| Wolcottville Soldier's Monument[40] | 1879 | Coe Memorial Park, South Main & Litchfield Streets, Torrington, Connecticut | Tan granite | Statue: Monument: 16 ft (4.88 m) | The statue is one-third-size copy of The American Volunteer. Cylindrical pedestal (unusual). : Made by the New England Granite Works | ||
| Soldiers' Monument[41] | 1880 | Town Green, Main & Academy Streets, Southington, Connecticut | "White" granite Blue granite columns | Statue: Monument: 20 ft (6.1 m) | |||
| Soldiers' Monument[42] | 1883 | East Main Street & Broadway Avenue Mystic in Stonington, Connecticut | Tan granite | Statue: Monument: approx. 19 ft (5.8 m) | Part of Mystic Bridge Historic District.[43] | ||
| Soldiers and Sailors Monument[44] [45] | 1883 | Geneva & Haverling Streets, Bath, New York | Bronze statue | Originally a fountain statue at New York State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, Bath. "Manchester" model. | |||
| Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument[46] | 1902 | Taunton Green, Taunton, Massachusetts | Granite | Statue: 8 ft (2.44 m) Monument: 22 ft (6.71 m) | |||
| Soldiers' Monument (attributed work)[47] | 1912 | 93 Grove Street, Putnam, Connecticut | Bronze statue Granite pedestal | Statue: Monument: approx. 19 ft (5.79 m) | |||
| Civil War Monument (attributed work)[48] | 1915-16 | Monument & Smith Streets opposite Fort Griswold State Park, Groton, Connecticut | Granite | Statue: Monument: approx. 22 ft (6.71 m) | Donated by Robert A. Gray. |