Jakob Otto Schweizer (March 27, 1863, Zurich - 1955) was a Swiss-American sculptor noted for his work on war memorials.

Biography Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Schweizer enrolled in that city's Industrial Art School in 1879. In 1882, he entered the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, Germany, where he studied with Johannes Schilling.Jockers, Ernst, J, Otto Schweizer: The Man and His Work, Press of the International Printing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,1953 p. 16 He then lived in Florence, Italy, 1889-94. He arrived in New York City in 1894, and settled in Philadelphia the following year.National Park Service biography from Valley Forge National Historical Park.

He was a member of Philadelphia's German Society of Pennsylvania, and through its connections he obtained his first major commission, a bronze statue of General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1910–11). He was also a Freemason.Famous Masons (under sculptors)

Schweizer created 7 sculptures for the Gettysburg Battlefield, more than any other artist. Among these was a larger-than-life statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Pennsylvania State Memorial. He modeled another Lincoln statue for the Memorial Room at the Union League of Philadelphia, and flanked it with 8 portrait reliefs of Union officers."John Otto Schweizer 1863-1955," in Maxwell Whiteman, Paintings and Sculpture at The Union League of Philadelphia (The Union League of Philadelphia, 1978), p. 115. His only equestrian statue, Baron von Steuben (1921), is in Milwaukee. He modeled dozens of busts, bas-reliefs and medallions,1917 Alexander the Great medallion and exhibited at the 1916 continuation of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.Illustrated Catalogue

His All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors (1934), originally placed in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, was relocated to Logan Square in 1994.

Schweizer died in 1955, at the age of 92.

Selected works

Civil War Monument (1909), Colorado State Capitol, Denver, with Captain John D. Howland. Statue of General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1910–11), Philadelphia Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, Philadelphia.Peter Muhlenberg from Philadelphia Public Art. Statue of Baron von Steuben (1912–14), Utica, New York. A 1915 replica of this with bas-relief is at Valley Forge National Historical Park.Rudolf Cronau, German Achievements in America (New York, 1916). Bust of Joseph Johns (1913), Central Park, Johnstown, Pennsylvania.Joseph Johns from Flickr. Monument to Confederate Women (1913), Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas.Confederate Women from waymarking.com James Bartram Nicholson (1913), Mount Peace Cemetery, Philadelphia. Relief bust of General John P. Taylor (1914), Church Hill Cemetery, Reedsville, Pennsylvania. Molly Pitcher Monument (1916), Old Graveyard, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.Molly Pitcher Monument from Flickr. Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Monument (1917), Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Statue of President James A. Garfield (1918), Long Branch, New Jersey.President Garfield from Flickr. Statue of Senator George T. Oliver (19__), Rotunda, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Senator Oliver from Flickr. Statue of General Thomas J. Stewart (19__), Rotunda, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Fort Stevens Monument and Marker (1920), Fort Stevens, Washington, DC. Equestrian statue of Baron von Steuben (1921), Washington Park, Milwaukee. from photographersdirect.com American Eagle (World War I Memorial) (1923), Chelten Square, E. Chelten Ave. & Wister St., Philadelphia.model of American Eagle from ArtNet. Schoonmaker Monument (1920s?), Homewood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lily Pond Railing (surrounding George Frampton's Peter Pan statue) (1930), Johnson Park, Camden, New Jersey.Lily Pond Railing from geocaching.com All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors (1934), Logan Square, Philadelphia. Relocated from West Fairmount Park in 1994.All Wars Memorial from Philadelphia Public Art. The Last Supper (1940s?), Mount Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas. The Last Supper (1944), Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg Battlefield President Abraham Lincoln (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. General David McMurtrie Gregg (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. General Alfred Pleasonton (1913), Pennsylvania State Memorial. General William Wells (1914), South Confederate Avenue. Another casting (1914) of this is at Battery Park, Burlington, Vermont. General John Geary (c. 1914), Culp's Hill. General Alexander Hays (c. 1914), Ziegler's Grove. General Andrew A. Humphreys (1919), Emmitsburg Road.

Union League of Philadelphia President Abraham Lincoln (1915–17). Relief bust of General George Gordon Meade (1914–17). Relief bust of General William T. Sherman (1914–17). Relief bust of General George H. Thomas (1914–17). Relief bust of Admiral David G. Farragut (1914–17). Relief bust of General Ulysses S. Grant (1914–17). Relief bust of General Phillip H. Sheridan (1914–17). Relief bust of General Winfield S. Hancock (1914–17). Relief bust of General David McMurtrie Gregg (1914–17).

Gallery

References Ernst Jockers, J. Otto Schweizer: The Man and His Work, (Philadelphia: International Printing Company, 1953).

External links

J. Otto Schweizer at ArtNet J. Otto Schweizer at AskArt