About This Lesson
This lesson is based on the National Historic Landmark nomination file, "Daniel Chester French Home and Studio" (with photographs), materials prepared for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Daniel Chester French, An American Sculptor, by Michael Richman. It was written by Rita Koman, an education consultant. The lesson was edited by Fay Metcalf, Marilyn Harper, and the Teaching with Historic Places staff. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into classrooms across the country.
Where it fits into the curriculum
Topics: This lesson could be used in American history, social
studies, and geography courses in units on late 19th, and early 20th-century
reform movements, on the growth of urban America, or in an introduction
to American art history.
Time period: 1875-1925
Relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5-12
Relevant Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
Find your state's social studies and history standards for grades Pre-K-12
Objectives for students
1) To describe the life, work, and workplace of Daniel Chester French.
2) To determine ways in which French's works reflected the culture of his time.
3) To describe the role of public sculpture in expressing and transmitting cultural values.
4) To compare French's work with public monuments or statues found in their own community.
Materials for students
The materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer
or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. The
maps and images appear twice: in a smaller, low-resolution version with
associated questions and alone in a larger version.
1) one map of Stockbridge, Massachusetts,
and the surrounding region;
2) three readings on the sculptor
Daniel Chester French and his work;
3) one drawing of Chesterwood today;
4) nine photos of French's workplace
and some of his works.
Visiting the site
Chesterwood is a historic house museum operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is located on Willliamsville Road, one mile south of the intersection of routes 183 and 102 in the Glendale section of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Follow the signs from the west end of Main Street in Stockbridge. The estate is open from May 1 to October 31, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact the Chesterwood Museum, P. O. Box 827, Stockbridge, MA 01262, or visit Chesterwood's Web page.