Robert Cushing (sculptor) explained

Robert Cushing
Birth Date:1841
Birth Place:County Tipperary, Ireland
Death Date:11 March 1896 (aged 55)
Death Place:Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Resting Place:Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York City
Nationality:Irish
Known For:Sculpture

Robert Cushing (1841 – 11 March 1896) was a prominent Irish sculptor, active in the United States in the second half of the 19th century. According to The New York Times, his most striking work was a statue of John Christopher Drumgoole in New York City.

Life and career

Cushing was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1841. He emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City. He studied under Randolph Rogers in Rome, Italy, for a period.

He had an office at 44 West 30th Street in Manhattan's Tenderloin district.[1]

Cushing had a daughter with his wife, who died several years before him.[1]

In 1894, his most notable piece of work, a statue of compatriot Father John Christopher Drumgoole, was erected in Lafayette Place, New York City.[2] It was moved to the Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne, Mount Loretto, in 1920.[3]

Death

Cushing died on 11 March 1896, aged 55.[1] The sign he had left on his office door read: "Called away by an important engagement. Back at 3 P.M. tomorrow." He had left to go to St. Vincent's Hospital, and expected to be back at work the following day; however, he experienced "heart trouble", which, coupled with "other ailments", led to his death. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Queens. Only a couple of his most intimate acquaintances knew of his health problems.[1]

Selected works

Below is a selection of Cushing's works, which are believed to number around 500 in total.[1]

Notes and References

  1. News: 29 March 1896 . ROBERT CUSHING'S ART; WORK OF THE AGED SCULPTOR WHO HAS JUST PASSED AWAY. One of the Originators and Leaders of the Profession in This Country -- His Sudden Dentil, of Which Few Knew -- Works Which Will Hand His Name Down to Fame -- Ward and Macdonald Contemporaneous with Him. . 26 . . 10 April 2022.
  2. "Statue of Father Drumgoole", The New York Times, 15 December 1893, p. 8
  3. http://www.mountloretto.org/document/18624 "A Brief History of MIV"
  4. Web site: The Official Directory of the World's Columbian Exposition: List of U. S. Exhibitors and Exhibits - Sculpture . 2022-04-11 . columbus.iit.edu.
  5. The Capital Dome, March 2019, U.S. Capitol Historical Society, p. 35
  6. Web site: U.S. Senate: Millard Fillmore . 2022-04-11 . www.senate.gov.