Lorado Taft's Midway Studios

“Taft began his experiments in sculpture later that year, modeling clay and working with plaster. The first piece he submitted for a public exhibition, a representation of a bald eagle rendered in plaster, was accepted for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, within weeks of his sixteenth birthday.”

“Although they were not on the scale of the Columbus Fountain or the Fountain of the Great Lakes, Taft's late works included four large figurative groups: Alma Mater, executed for the University of Illinois in 1929; The Patriots and The Pioneers, installed at the new Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge in 1933; and Justice, for the tower of the Federal Building at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago, also completed in 1933.”

“As the scale of Taft's reputation and commissions grew during the first two decades of this century, the studios expanded to accommodate his vision for sculptural groups of great size as well as an increasing number of assistants in what became a slowly growing complex of interconnected buildings.”

“On the day he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in June, 1880, Taft boarded the train that took him to New York on the first leg of his trip to Paris.”

“Most of Taft's energy at this time was spent on much smaller projects however, such as designs for medals, plaques, and household fixtures, including fireplace screens. In 1892 Taft's fortunes changed significantly: he became a full-time instructor at the newly expanded School of the Art Institute, took a part-time position as a "Professorial Lecturer on the History of Art" at the newly opened University of Chicago, and was named superintendent of sculpture, with commissions for two pieces to be erected at the entrance to the Horticultural Building, for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.”

“Taft's History of American Sculpture was the first written on the subject, and it became a standard text for many years. Originally published in 1903 and reissued with additional chapters in the 1920s, it turned out to be one of his most enduring contributions to the study of American sculpture.”

“The first phase of the renovation, intended to bring the building up to minimal code standards, was completed in March, 1962, for $7,009. Plans were prepared for an extensive structural renovation at this time by Edward D. Dart, an architect who donated his time to the project.”

“In addition to its educational function, the Lorado Taft Midway Studios were the venue in which many of Taft's most famous works were realized. Known for his monumental-scale memorials and fountains, Taft spent the last thirty years of his life working at this site.”

“Originally intended to be carved in marble, Taft imagined that the majority of the physical labor would be done by his assistants at the nearby Midway Studios. Delays in the execution of the work, some of which were due to the entry of the United States into the First World War, and changes in artistic taste, inspired in part by greater knowledge of contemporary avant-garde sculpture in Europe, were putting Taft's classically-derived form of expression out of favor.”