This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Alexander Milne Calder made Pennsylvania
his home in 1868 and earned the commission to create the decorative
sculptural program for the City Hall of Philadelphia. This
project consumed much of his career, and while supervising it, he
oversaw a small army of artisans and workmen who used Old World skills
in the "tremendous decorative sculptural program" (Baigell 58)
One
of his best-known works is likely the huge statue of William Penn on
top of the City Hall in Philadelphia. With naturalistic likeness,
it is based on Benjamin West's depiction of the state's founder and is
36 feet tall and weighs 26 tons. This project was the main focus
of Calder's professional life between 1886 and 1892, and his biggest
challenge was finding a foundry that could handle such a large
work. He also sculpted the equestrian statue of General George
Gordon Meade, which was installed in 1881 in Fairmount Park in
Philadelphia.
His son, Alexander Stirling Calder, and grandson, Alexander Calder, appear to have inherited his talent.
Sources include:
Matthew Baigell, Dictionary of American Art
Georg Sheets, Pennsylvania Heritage
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