Chapter 28

JOHN ROGERS.

Birth--Early years--Begins life as a clerk in a dry goods store--Artistic talent--Opposition of his parents--A change in his plans--Becomes an engineer--Failure of his eyes--Voyage to Spain--Return home--Becomes a machinist--Promoted--Learns to model in clay--Commences his studies in art--A hard life, and a noble perseverance--A change for the better--A sudden reverse--Out of work--Visits Europe to study his art--Returns home in despair--Enters the service of the surveyor of the city of Chicago--His first statuettes--Their success--A new field opened to him--Visits New York, and learns the new method of casting figures--Establishes himself in New York--His first studio--Immediate popularity of his works--Description of them--Removes to a new studio--His later works--Process by which they are made-Originality of the artist rewarded by the public--Personal characteristics.