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Daniel Chester French

DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH

The Lincoln Memorial attracts more than eight million visitors annually. Despite the monument's success, the sculptor who created it, Daniel Chester French, has been mostly overlooked and forgotten.​ French was a prominent artist during the American Renaissance, creating over two hundred monuments. ​The film focuses on several of French's notable works, including The Lafayette Memorial in Brooklyn, allegorical representations of Brooklyn and Manhattan in front of the Brooklyn Museum, The Four Continents on the façade of the US Customs House in Battery Park, The Millmore Memorial in Boston, and the Melvin Memorial in Concord, Mass. Finally, the film explores French's best-known work, the seated Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial, a collaboration with architect Henry Bacon and the Piccirilli family of sculptors. HD | 60 minutes

 A film made possible with the support of the

NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

 

Executive Producers

Donna HASSLER + Eduardo MONTES-BRADLEY

Main Consultant

Daniel PRESTON

 

Made in collaboration with

Richard Guy WILSON Michael RICHMAN Harold HOLZER 

Thayer TOLLES Adrian Michele BOGART BENEPE William SHERMAN

Eve KAHN David DEARINGER Judith SHEA Daniel PRESTON

Significant support has come from

THE MORRIS AND ALMA SCHAPIRO FUND 

Written and Directed by

Eduardo MONTES-BRADLEY

THE PAPERS

A monumental work by Dan Preston and Michael Richman, an effort that began in 1976 which culminates in a compilation of over 1,200 pages, including 1,260 documents, and a descriptive list of 360 sculptural works. Click on the image!

© 2025 | Heritage Film Project, LLC

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