George E. Bissell
George Edwin Bissell was born in New Preston, Connecticut in 1839, the son of a quarryman and marble worker. At 14, G.E. Bissell became a clerk in a Waterburystore, then attended Gunnery School at Washington, Connecticut. Soon he served as a private in the 23rd Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers. After the war he resumed work in stonecutting with his family in Poughkeepsie, New York, and at age 32 received his first commission as a sculptor. Thereafter, he studied in Paris,
Florence, and Rome. He was commissioned to create many civic monuments, including many commemorating the Civil War, including the Waterbury SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. For that commission he returned to Europe both to do the modeling and to have the bronze pieces cast. The classical character of the sculpture, the allegories that it articulates, and the locale for the modelling and casting all express the 19th-century classical European tradition in art and aesthetics. He died in
1920.
Florence, and Rome. He was commissioned to create many civic monuments, including many commemorating the Civil War, including the Waterbury SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. For that commission he returned to Europe both to do the modeling and to have the bronze pieces cast. The classical character of the sculpture, the allegories that it articulates, and the locale for the modelling and casting all express the 19th-century classical European tradition in art and aesthetics. He died in
1920.