Sidney Waugh

Sidney Waugh
Waugh in 1929
Born(1904-01-17)January 17, 1904
Amherst, Massachusetts, US
DiedJune 30, 1963(1963-06-30) (aged 59)
New York City, US
Known forSculpture
FatherFrank Albert Waugh
Family
AwardsPrix de Rome (1929)

Sidney Biehler Waugh (January 17, 1904 – June 30, 1963) was an American sculptor known for his monuments, medals, etched and molded glass, and architectural sculpture.

Biography

Waugh was born in Amherst,[1] Massachusetts to Mary (née Mary Vail) and Frank Albert Waugh.[2][3] His father was a landscape architect.[3] Among his siblings were Frederick V. Waugh,[2] an agricultural economist; Albert Waugh,[2] a provost at the University of Connecticut (1950–1965); and Dorothy Waugh,[2][1] an artist, illustrator, and landscape architect.[4][1]

Waugh entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the age of 16 and attended for three years. In 1925, he and his sister Dorothy exhibited works at an exhibition at Massachusetts Agricultural College.[5] After this, he studied at the American Academy in Rome[6] and in Paris where he studied with Antoine Bourdelle and worked as an assistant to Henri Bouchard.[7]

He won bronze and silver medals in 1928 and 1929, respectively, at the Salon de Printemps.[8][9] In 1929 he won the Prix de Rome where he stayed until 1932. He was commissioned by Steuben Glass in 1934 to prepare for designs for the reinvigorated company under the directorship of Arthur Houghton.[10]

During World War II, Waugh served in the US Army as a Captain and received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Croix de Guerres, and was named a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy.[11][12] He initially served in the US Army Air Force intelligence. In September 1943, he transferred to the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA), more commonly known as the "Monuments Men".[9][13] He worked in North Africa and Italy. After the Battle of Monte Cassino, Waugh helped secure and recover art work and other valuables from the Abbey of Monte Cassino after it was nearly destroyed by Allied bombing.[9]

The year after the war ended, Waugh married Elizabeth Pettigrew Lake.[14] She had also worked for Steuben Glass.[15]

Waugh was later appointed sculptor for the American Battle Monuments Commission for whom he produced The Spirit of American Youth and another representing the spirit of peace on the central high pylon at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial.[16]

Waugh died in New York City in 1963.[1]

Works

Books

  • The Art of Glass Making. New York: Dodd, Mead. 1938. OCLC 596085000 – via HathiTrust.
  • The Making of Fine Glass. New York: Dodd, Mead. 1947. OCLC 684730229 – via HathiTrust.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sidney B. Waugh, Sculptor, is Dead; Works of Designer, 59, Adorn Many Public Structures Designer of Medals Won Prix de Rome". The New York Times. July 1, 1963. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Waugh, F. A. (Frank Albert), 1869-1943". Special Collections & University Archives. University of Massachusetts at Amherst. FS 088. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  3. ^ a b Resnick, Mark H.; Poster House (2025). Blazing A Trail: Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters. Rochester, New York: RIT Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-956313-35-2. OCLC 1525856669.
  4. ^ "50 Nifty Finds #7: The Waugh Factor (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  5. ^ "An exhibition of paintings and drawing at the Memorial building". The Springfield Daily Republican. Vol. 82, no. 51. Springfield, Massachusetts. May 25, 1925. p. 12. Retrieved November 10, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Prof and Mrs Waugh Entertain Children from Many Places; Entire Family Gathers for First Time in Nine Years". The Springfield Daily News. Springfield, Massachusetts. July 27, 1931. Retrieved November 10, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Proske, Beatrice Gilman (1968) [1943]. Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture. Murrells Inlet, SC: Brookgreen Gardens Trustees. pp. 366–369. OCLC 871352916. Revised in 1993: OCLC 1298804330.
  8. ^ "Sidney Biehler Waugh". askART. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Capt. Sidney B. Waugh". MonumentsMenWomenFnd. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  10. ^ James, George (April 4, 1990). "Arthur Houghton Jr., 83, Dies; Led Steuben Glass". New York Yimes. New York Yimes. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  11. ^ "Sidney Waugh, Monuments Man". The Common. February 7, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  12. ^ Murphy, Nora (April 28, 2014). "MIT Libraries News » Blog Archive » MIT's Monuments Men". libraries.mit.edu. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Sidney Biehler Waugh". monumentsmen.com. March 20, 2016. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
  14. ^ "Miss Elizabeth Pettigrew Lake Weds Sidney Waugh of New York". Florence Morning News. Vol. 22, no. 805. Florence, SC. August 18, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved January 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Obituary for Elizabeth Pollard". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. July 12, 2003. p. 27. Retrieved January 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Nishiura, Elizabeth; American Battle Monuments Commission (1989). "Florence American Cemetery and Memorial". American Battle Monuments: A Guide to Military Cemeteries and Monuments Maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics. pp. 258, 263. ISBN 978-1-55888-812-8. OCLC 1428317866 – via Internet Archive.
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