THE GENERAL JAMES WOLFE STATUETTE PROJECT

The unlisted General Wolfe medal from the Ford Collection.

Were it not for General James Wolfe and his victory over the French on the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, 1759, we might be a part of France now. Or perhaps our official language would be French—not that that would all bad. English has no word for “adult child,” for example. And we already use renaissance, apres ski, mademoiselle, reconnaissance, rendezvous, and a lot of other French words.

Wolfe, born on January 2, 1727, grew up in a military family with training from an early age. He was a brigade major at age 18 and a lieutenant colonel at 23. When he gave his life on September 13, 1759, he was only 33—and yet he commanded thousands of troops who sailed up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec. His French counterpart, Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, also died in the battle.

Although General Wolfe never set foot in America, let alone the province of New Hampshire, word of his victory reached the British colonies to the south. On November 14, 1759, a meeting of the 24 proprietors of what is now Wolfeboro, New Hampshire was held in Portsmouth, with Daniel Pierce as moderator and David Sewall as clerk. It was voted “that the township, in honor of the late renowned and illustrious General Wolf [sic], deceased, be called Wolf’s-borough.” The Wolf instead of Wolfe spelling was common into the late 19th century. Today the e is back in and “ugh” is out, giving Wolfeboro.

General Wolfe has been of numismatic interest for a long time. A number of medals featuring him have been issued over the years, including one hitherto unlisted one, illustrated, in a John J. Ford, Jr., in 2006. I missed bidding on it—wasn’t paying close attention! There are at least two known, with another illustrated in a 1930 book. Betts-421 and 422 medals relating to Wolfe are well known but rare.

I decided to create another Wolfe medal—not a medal, but a statue.

Artist-sculptor Phebe Hemphill and Dave Bowers, June 27, 2012.

Phebe Hemphill, a sculptor-engraver at the United States Mint in Philadelphia has created a long and illustrious repertoire of designs for coins, including of presidents Harrison Tyler, Buchanan, Garfield, McKinley Coolidge, and Hoover and dozens of medals, many of which can still be purchased today. Check the U.S. Mint website for her biography and list of what she has done.

Over a long period of years I have visited the various mints in the United States (Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point) and have written about them, including in a forthcoming book about the history of all the mints 1792 to date, to be released soon by Whitman Publishing LLC.

In the course of visits I have come to know the artists in the Engraving Department. Phebe Hemphill became a friend after I interviewed her in depth in 2012 regarding her winning design for the White Mountain quarter dollar issued for the State of New Hampshire in 2013. I asked Phebe if she did private commissions, which Mint artists are allowed to do. Don Everhart, for one, has done many in the private sector.

Portrait of General James Wolfe in oil, inspiration for the statuettes.
Phebe Hemphill’s model from which castings were made.

After due discussion I sent my favorite image of General Wolfe and asked if she could do a statue of him for display near the Wolfeboro Town Hall. She could, but after figuring the costs for a larger-than- life solid copper statue and an appropriate pedestal, the cost was over $70,000. Then there was the question of where it would be placed, as space in front of Town Hall is limited.

My thoughts then shifted to having her make a small solid bronze statuette, hand sculpted, and signed in a limited edition. She went to work in her home studio, created a model, sent me images for approval, and then used it to make 15 wax molds for the casting of the copper figures. Each statue was to have WOLFE on the front of its base and her signature in bronze and a number from 1 to 14. The 15th she kept for herself.

One of 15 molds being prepared for the castings.
The group of finished statuettes.

After over two years of going back and forth and a lot of finessing, the 14 statues were finally cast, finished, and delivered. Each is 8.5 inches high, solid copper with patinated finish, and weighs slightly over 2.5 pounds. My cost for each, not including my own time and some travel, was exactly $750 each, per her invoice to me at a special price, less than the $900 she originally contemplated.

As I write these words six statues are in collections and eight remain. I am making them available at cost to those interested in American history and Wolfe’s dynamic, indeed pivotal place in it. In the entire world of art there are very few statuettes by Mint artists that have ever been made. Those by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, an outside artist who did Mint work, cost many thousands of dollars each, if indeed you can find one. If you would like a General James Wolfe statuette for my $750 cost, e-mail me and I will confirm availability. I can ship by FedEx or UPS to domestic addresses for $45, including careful packing. If any are unsold I will publicize them nationally at a price which will include a markup. I will pretend I am a dealer in fine art!

Commissioning this sculpture has involved dozens of conversations and e-mails with Phebe, a unique experience!

To contact me: Dave Bowers, qdbarchive@metrocast.net. Checks to be sent to me, if your order is confirmed, can be mailed to me at Box 539, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896.

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