End of the Trail

James Earle Fraser (November 4, 1876-October 11, 1953) was an American sculptor during the first half of the 20th century. His work is integral to many of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic structures. Fraser was born in Winona, MN. As a child, James Fraser was exposed to frontier life and to Native Americans, who were being pushed ever further west or confined to reservations. These early memories were expressed in many of his works from the early bust, "Indian Princess," to his most famous projects, such as "End of the Trail" and the Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel. Fraser began carving limestone near his home near Mitchell, South Dakota. He attended classes at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1890 and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Academie Julian in Paris in the late 19th century. Early in his career, Fraser was an assistant to Richard Bock and Augustus Saint-Gaudens; he formed his own studio in 1902. He also taught at the Art Students League in New York City in 1906, and later became its director. Among his earliest works were sculptural pieces at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and, for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, one of his most famous pieces, "End of the Trail." Fraser's work in Washington includes "The Authority of Law" and "The Contemplation of Justice" at the U.S. Supreme Court as well as the south pediment and statues at the National Archives. His commissions also include coins and medals. Fraser's major works include two heroic bronze equestrian statues titled "The Arts of Peace." Fraser was a member of the National Academy of Design, the National Sculpture Society, and the Architectural League of New York. He was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C., from 1920-1925. James Earle Fraser died in 1953 in Connecticut.