TAFT, LORADO

born April 29, 1860, Elmwood, Ill., U.S. died Oct. 30, 1936, Chicago, Ill. American sculptor of portraits and monumental allegorical works. He was also an influential teacher and writer. Taft graduated from the University of Illinois and attended the cole des Beaux-Arts (188085). His long career as teacher and public lecturer began at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1886. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1911 and was active in planning for public education in art, serving (191417) as director of the American Federation of Arts. In 1903 he published The History of American Sculpture, the first comprehensive work on the subject. His Modern Tendencies in Sculpture was published in 1921. Taft's work is in the vein of late 19th-century academic sculpture and consists largely of allegories composed of gracefully idealized figurese.g., Fountain of the Great Lakes (1913; Art Institute of Chicago) and The Fountain of Time (1922; in Washington Park, Chicago, Illinois). Midway Studios, Taft's former home, is preserved as a national monument on the campus of the University of Chicago.