In a career that spanned only twenty years, nineteenth century sculptor William Henry Rinehart left a legacy of work and scholarship. At his death in 1874 he bequeathed his estate to “the promotion of interest in and cultivation of taste for art,” and to assist young sculpture students “who may desire to make it a profession.” His estate created the Rinehart School of Sculpture, now at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and provided scholarships for study in Rome and Paris.
Three members of the first class of the Rinehart School of Sculpture, Hans Schuler, J. Maxwell Miller, and Edward Berge, studied in Paris at the Académie Julian after their graduation in 1900, the first two as recipients of Rinehart scholarships. On their return to Baltimore, the three created a collection of public and private memorials in the Baltimore area, with Schuler eventually becoming the president of MICA, and Miller, the director of the Rinehart School.
The mythological and allegorical subject matter of Schuler, Miller and Berge reflected the influence of the academy, and in their styles are found elements of classicism, Art Nouveau, and the naturalism of August Rodin, with whom Berge studied. The paper will examine the memorials of the four sculptors found in Green Mount and some of the other Baltimore cemeteries.
About the presenterNancy Nelson Kurtz
Nancy Kurtz is National Register Coordinator with the Maryland Historical Trust, the state historic preservation office. She serves on the Governor’s Commission on Maryland Military Monuments, which sponsors conservation treatment for monuments in need of preservation and provides an ongoing conservation maintenance program. She coordinates the Maryland roadside historical marker program and provides technical assistance on cemetery preservation issues. Ms. Kurtz holds a BA degree from University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master’s degree in ceramics from the Columbia Visual Arts College.