Nels N. Alling

Nels N. Alling
Born(1861-10-15)October 15, 1861
Randers, Denmark
DiedMarch 9, 1955(1955-03-09) (aged 93)
Fords, New Jersey, US
Resting placeAlpine Cemetery, Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Known forTerra cotta sculpture
Notable workStatue of George Washington

Nels N. Alling (October 15, 1861 – March 9, 1955) was a Danish-American sculptor who specialized in terra cotta architectural work in the city of Perth Amboy in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. He is known for his life-size terra cotta statue of George Washington located in the city's Market Square.[1][2]

Career

George Washington, Market Square, Perth Amboy

Alling studied art in Denmark, and had been recognized for his work by Danish king Christian IX.[3] He immigrated to the United States in 1887 and started work at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company.[4][5] He had come to New Jersey as he later recalled, because:[4]

I heard that top-flight workers in terra cotta could earn as much as 55 cents an hour, which was a fantastic sum of money in my estimation in those days.

At the time, Perth Amboy had several terra cotta manufacturing companies and attracted skilled workers from several countries, including Denmark and Sweden.[2][6] In 1895, Alling received a commission for a life-size terra cotta statue of George Washington, which he modeled in his studio. The statue was a gift from the Scandinavians of Perth Amboy and dedicated on Washington's Birthday, February 22, 1896, in Market Square, in front of the Perth Amboy City Hall.[1][2] Alling's daughter unveiled the statue at the ceremony, which featured speeches by the mayor and Scandinavians of the city.[2]

Alling created terra cotta statuary for several New York City buildings, including the now demolished New York Hippodrome.[7] He also sculpted several other statues[3] and is thought to have made many gravemarkers in Perth Amboy.[8] He later operated a funerary monuments and headstones business.[9][10]

Personal life

Alling monument, Alpine Cemetery

Alling was born on October 15, 1861, in the city of Randers in Denmark. He married Wilhelmina Charlotte Weedfald in July 1887[11] and soon emigrated to New Jersey.[4] He died on March 9, 1955, at his home in the Fords section of Woodbridge Township and was buried at the Alpine Cemetery in Perth Amboy.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "George Washington the Father of His Country, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
  2. ^ a b c d Osborne, W. R. (April 1896). "A Terra Cotta Monument – The Father of Our Country in Jersey Clay". The Clay-Worker. XXV (4). Indianapolis, Indiana: 335–336. An Appropriate Gift From the Foreign Born Clayworkers of America's Greatest Clay Center in the Municipality of Perth Amboy.
  3. ^ a b Veit, Richard (1995). Meyer, Richard E. (ed.). "'A Piece of Granite That's Been Made in Two Weeks': Terra-Cotta Gravemarkers from New Jersey and New York, 1875–1930" (PDF). Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies. Markers XII: 19. ISBN 1-878381-05-9. Alling sculpted several impressive statues, including a life-sized rendering of George Washington
  4. ^ a b c Murtha, Hillary (2004). Uncommon Clay: New Jersey's Architectural Terra Cotta Industry. Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum, New Jersey: Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
  5. ^ Bzdak, Meredith Arms (1999). Public Sculpture in New Jersey: Monuments to Collective Identity. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 40. ISBN 0-8135-2699-X.
  6. ^ Veit, Richard (1999). "Moving Beyond the Factory Gates: The Industrial Archaeology of New Jersey's Terra Cotta Industry". Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology. 25 (2): 18–19. JSTOR 40968875.
  7. ^ a b "Nels Alling, Sculptor, Dies at 94 in Fords". Courier News. March 10, 1955. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Veit, Richard; Nonestied, Mark (2003). "Taken for Granite: Terracotta Gravemarkers from New Jersey and New York". Chipstone Foundation. Sadly, Mr. Alling also failed to sign his work.
  9. ^ "N. N. Alling & Son – Monuments and Headstones". Perth Amboy Evening News. January 6, 1910. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "N. N. Alling – Marble and Granite Monuments". Perth Amboy Evening News. September 9, 1915. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Niels Nielsen Alling". Swedish America Heritage Online – Illinois, New York, Massachusetts.