Born in San Francisco, California in 1878, Robert I. Aitken was a remarkable sculptor. After a short time studying under Douglas Tilden at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute in his native San Francisco, he received his first two major commissions; the William McKinley Monument (1904) honoring the former U.S. president at Golden Gate Park and the Dewey Monument (1903) at Union Square, honoring Admiral George Dewey’s victory at the Battle of Manila Bay.

After working in Paris, France for four years starting in 1904, in 1907 he returned to the United States and settled in New York City. While the reason for his settling in New York City is unknown, this time proved to be very productive for him. During this time he created his most popular work -two commissions for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, The Fountain of Earth and The Four Elements and the west pediment of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C, Equal Justice Under Law (1935).

Despite his impressive oeuvre, it is not well known that Aitken also sculpted busts featured at the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, which include: former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson (1925); former U.S. Secretary of State, Daniel Webster (1926); former speaker for the U.S. House of Representatives, Henry Clay (1927); and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin (1927). His busts are undeniably striking and as contemporary writer, Elizabeth Anna Semple described, “his aim to make the mind and soul of his subject shine forth from the marble or the bronze; and it is his ability to do this that lends to his busts their unique attraction, and real, lasting value.” (Semple, A. E.,1913, pg. 8)

Access to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans Image Collection is available \[here]:(https://www.jstor.org/site/bronx-community-college/hall-of-fame/) For a virtual tour of the Hall of Fame please \[click here]: (https://www.bcc.cuny.edu/about-bcc/history-architecture/hall-of-fame-for-great-americans/) References: Robert Ingersoll Aitken. (n.d.) Martin du Louvre Gallery - Paris - Modern and Contemporary Art. Retrieved December 7, 2023 from https://www.martindulouvre.com/artists/aitken/ Semple, A. E. (1913). Art of Robert Aitken, Sculptor. Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine, 61(3), 1-8. Winquist, K. (2000). Aitken, Robert Ingersoll (08 May 1878–03 January 1949), sculptor. American National Biography. Retrieved December 7 2023, from https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1701155