Scope and Content Note
The papers of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) span the years 1848-1962, with the bulk of the material dated between 1911 and 1945. The largest segment of the collection consists of the papers of Daniel Chester French and is made up largely of retained copies of letters sent, letters exchanged with members of his family, and a separate body of correspondence relating to his career as a sculptor. This latter group, arranged by the title of French's various works of art, contains correspondence and other papers that, in many cases, trace the development of the work from its inception to its completion. Of particular importance is the file on the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln that French did for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Correspondence with William W. Harts, Charles Moore, and Henry Bacon, the architect of the memorial, reveals French's concern with landscaping, plantings, publicity, and the lighting of the figure. The sculptor's general correspondence, with letters advising museums on their acquisition policies, counseling artistic commissions on various projects, and offering candid opinions on a wide range of cultural matters, reflects the artistic milieu of the period. Correspondents include Gutzon Borglum, Robert M. Bush, Margaret F. Jameson, Hermon A. MacNeil, George Foster Peabody, Edward Robinson, Lorado Taft, and Adolf A. Weinman.
The 1983 Addition consists of letters sent, a volume of bylaws and minutes of the Daniel Chester French Foundation, and a typescript of a book by Mary A. French. The 2019 Addition consists of letters, mainly from French, to Charles Dupuy, the manager of French's estate, Chesterwood, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Included in the collection are the papers of the sculptor and writer Margaret French Cresson, daughter of Daniel Chester French, containing correspondence with artists and writers as well as manuscripts and other material relating to her books, articles, and speeches.
Other family members represented in the papers include Sarah French Bartlett, W. P. Cresson, Amos Tuck French, Henry F. French, William M. R. French, and Daniel's wife, Mary Adams French French.