James Earle Fraser

James Earle Fraser was a renowned American sculptor and teacher of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born on November 4, 1876, in Winona, Minnesota, and died on October 11, 1953.

Fraser began his artistic training at a young age. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Mitchell, South Dakota, where he first encountered the culture and way of life of Native Americans, which would greatly influence his later works.

Fraser attended the Chicago Art Institute and later studied at the Art Students League in New York, where he met and apprenticed under Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens, one of the leading sculptors of his time, had a profound influence on Fraser and helped him develop his own style.

Fraser is perhaps best known for two major works. The first is the Buffalo Nickel coin, introduced in 1913. This design features a Native American portrait on one side and a buffalo on the other. It remains one of the most famous coin designs in American history.

His second notable work is the sculpture "End of the Trail," which depicts an exhausted Native American on an equally exhausted horse. This sculpture was first displayed at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 and symbolizes the fate of Native Americans in the wake of the United States' westward expansion.

Fraser also taught at the Art Students League in New York and was a member of several prominent art organizations, including the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His wife, Laura Gardin Fraser, was also a respected artist, and they often collaborated on projects.

Throughout his career, Fraser created a number of other significant works, including many public monuments and commemorative coins. His artistic legacy continues in the many works of art he left behind and in the students he influenced.