Augustus St-Gaudens, 1848-1907
St-Gaudens is a celebrated American sculptor who has a number of his heroic-sized works prominently displayed around USA. This bronze depicting members of the first black civil war regiment is considered his masterpiece. The story of the 54th Regiment is retold in the excellent 1989 movie, "Glory".
A stray fact that caught my attention is that St-Gaudens designed the $20 American Gold Eagle coin, one of which sold at auction not long ago for $7.5M, the record price paid for a coin.
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina... ... read more 
