Robert Cushing (sculptor)

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.

Robert Cushing
A New York Times sketch of Cushing in their obituary of the sculptor
Born1841
County Tipperary, Ireland
Died11 March 1896 (aged 55)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery, Queens, New York City
NationalityIrish
Known forSculpture

Life and career
Cushing's statue of William Morrill Wadley at Terminal Station in Macon, Georgia. He is holding a railroad map in his left hand

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.[1]

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]

References
  1. "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". The New York Times. 29 March 1896. p. 26. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  2. "Statue of Father Drumgoole", The New York Times, 15 December 1893, p. 8
  3. "A Brief History of MIV", Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. Archived June 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "The Official Directory of the World's Columbian Exposition: List of U. S. Exhibitors and Exhibits - Sculpture". columbus.iit.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  5. The Capital Dome, March 2019, U.S. Capitol Historical Society, p. 35
  6. "U.S. Senate: Millard Fillmore". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
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