Charles James Mulligan

The story of the Palette and Chisel begins in the studio of Lorado Taft -- but that's only because one of the founding members, Charles James Mulligan, was then working as his assistant - and as it turns out, he went to become one of the leading sculptors of the Midwest.

When he died, in 1916, at age 49, he was chairman of the sculpture department at the A.I.C., and the eulogy was delivered in Fullerton Hall by the director and president of the Art Institute. He had also just received a $15,000 commission from Ft. Wayne Indiana for a monument to its namesake - and appeared to be on the verge of a national reputation.

Versions of his chronology are contradictory -- and being in no position to verify one over the other -- I'll just present them all together:

Born in County Armagh , Ireland 1866
emigrated to US in 1872
moved to chicago in 1885 to work in pullman car shops
studies art at night school for 12 years
apprenticed to marble cutter - then to Lorado Taft
studied in Paris with Falguiere- Ecole des Beaux Arts, four years
foreman of Taft's Columbian expo workshop 1891-3
exhibited in AIC Chicago Artists show 1901-1910

Monuments include:

McKinley park (Chicago), Mckinley Monument (Western and 37th)

Garfield Park (Chicago), Lincoln monument 1911 "the rail splitter"

Humboldt park (Chicago) "Miners monument" or "Miner and Child" 1911






George Rogers Clark memorial, Springfield Il - Supreme Court bldg.

"Law and Knowledge"Springfield Il - Supreme Court bldg

"Justice and Power", Springfield Il - Supreme Court bldg.

"3 sisters" Springfield Il - Supreme Court bldg.

"Fourth of july" (location ?)

"Colonel Finnerty" (location ?)

"Henry Clay" lexington ky



Illinois monument, Vicksburg, MS



Lincoln, in Rosemond Grove Cemetery Pana, IL







Lincoln in Oak Wood cemetery 1035 E. 67th, (my photos are here)


Meagher monument, state capital, Montana





"The Indian Mother" Lincoln, Illinois (1906)

I'm not sure how many of these monuments still exist. The "Indian Mother" was recently restored -- but I'm guessing that the ones in Springfield are gone.

The one in Montana is there, though, and here's the fun story of the man who was depicted:

"Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) was an Irish revolutionary, flamboyant orator, and Union veteran of the Civil War who twice served as acting governor of Montana Territory. Exiled from the British Isles to a penal colony in Tasmania in 1848, this Irish freedom fighter soon escaped to New York City. Arriving in Montana in 1865 at the height of its gold rush, Meagher served as acting territorial governor in 1865-66 and 1866-67. His political terms are viewed by many as opportunistic and corrupt. Meagher's mysterious disappearance from a steamboat in 1867 has led to disparate theories about the cause of his death - from falling into the Missouri River while intoxicated to premediated murder by British agents."