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Herbert Adams

1858 – 1945

American sculptor

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About Herbert Adams

Lived 1858 – 1945 (aged 87). Herbert Adams was an American sculptor and artist.

Samuel Herbert Adams (January 28, 1858 – May 21, 1945) was an American sculptor.

Biography Herbert Adams was born in 1858 at West Concord, Vermont, son of machinist and patternmaker Samuel Minot Adams and Nancy Powers. In 1863, at the age of five, he moved to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, so his father could take a job at the Putnam Machine Co. His family purchased a home on 26 Chestnut Street. He was educated in the public schools of Fitchburg and Worcester, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1915 to 1920, serving as vice chairman from 1918 to 1920.

Adams died in New York City in 1945.

Works by Adams are held by numerous American museums, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Selected works

1887-1889 – Bust of Adeline Valentine Pond (Mrs. Herbert Adams), Hispanic Society of America, New York, New York. 1888 – Boys and Turtles Fountain, Fitchburg, Massachusetts. 1894 – The Rabbi's Daughter, private collection. 1896-1898 – Two bronze doors: Truth, Research, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Begun by Olin Levi Warner in 1895. 1897 – Bust of Professor Joseph Henry, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1898 – Bust of Julia Marlowe as Juliet, Museum of the City of New York, New York, New York. 1898 – Memorial Tablets, Massachusetts State House, Boston, Massachusetts. 1898-1905 – Vanderbilt Memorial bronze doors, St. Bartholomew's Church, New York, New York. 1899-1900 – La Jeunesse, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. 1899-1901 – Richard Smith (type-founder), Smith Memorial Arch, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1900 – Jonathan Edwards Memorial, First Congregational Church, Northampton, Massachusetts. 1902 – William Ellery Channing, Boston Public Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. 1902-1905 – Matthias William Baldwin, City Hall, Philadelphia, Philadelphia. 1912 – McMillan Fountain, Washington, D.C. 1916 - Michigan Memorial, Vicksburg, Mississippi 1919-1923 – James Scott Memorial Fountain, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Michigan (with Cass Gilbert). 1926-1928 – World War Memorial, Fitchburg, Massachusetts. 1928 – Girl with Water Lilies, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1928 - Annual Medal of Honor Plaquette for the City Gardens Club of New York 1934 - Ninth issue of the Society of Medalists, First Little Shiner.

Gallery

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Also known as
Samuel Herbert Adams

Family & relationships

Spouse
Adeline Pond Adams

People in Herbert Adams's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Herbert Adams's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Herbert Adams?

American sculptor (1858-1945)

When was Herbert Adams born?

Herbert Adams was born on 28 January 1858 in Concord.

When did Herbert Adams die?

Herbert Adams died on 21 May 1945 in New York City.

What was Herbert Adams's occupation?

Herbert Adams was a sculptor and artist.

What nationality was Herbert Adams?

Herbert Adams was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Herbert Adams

· Wikidata: Q5733455

· DBpedia: Herbert Adams (sculptor)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Herbert Adams. https://biography.guide/herbert-adams-sculptor/

MLA: "Herbert Adams." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/herbert-adams-sculptor/.

Chicago: "Herbert Adams." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/herbert-adams-sculptor/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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