William Henry Rinehart (September 13, 1825 – October 28, 1874) was a noted American
sculptor. He is considered "the last important American sculptor to work in the classical style."[1]
Biography
The son of Israel Rinehart (1792–1871) and Mary (Snader) Rinehart (1797–1865), William Henry Rinehart was born near
Union Bridge, Maryland.[citation needed] His brother was
David Rinehart.[2] He attended school until he was nearly eighteen. He then began to work on his father's farm, but also became the assistant of a stone-cutter in the neighborhood. In 1844 he began an apprenticeship in the stone-yard of Baughman and Bevan on the site of what is now the
Peabody Institute in
Baltimore, and studied sculpture at what is now called the
Maryland Institute College of Art.[citation needed]
In 1855 Rinehart went to Italy to continue his studies. While there he executed two bas-reliefs in marble, Morning and Evening. On his return, two years later, he opened a studio in Baltimore, where he executed numerous busts, a fountain-figure for the main
U.S. Post Office in Washington, DC; and two bronze figures, Backwoodsman and Indian, flanking the clock in the House of Representatives Chamber of the
U.S. Capitol. In 1858 he settled in Rome where he would live the rest of his life, except for trips back to the United States in 1866 and 1872.[citation needed] Rinehart's burial was funded by his friends
William Thompson Walters and
Benjamin Franklin Newcomer and he was buried at
Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.[3]
Legacy
Rinehart was financially successful in his lifetime, executing many commissions for wealthy and cultured clients. American patrons often traveled to Italy to meet Rinehart and plan projects for their estates back in America. Rinehart's most important patron and sponsor was
William T. Walters, founder of
Baltimore's
Walters Art Gallery (now the
Walters Art Museum).