Edgar Fahs Smith
Edgar Fahs Smith, 1925, Bronze
Robert Tait McKenzie (Canadian, 1867 – 1938)
#1926.0001.0001
Edgar Fahs Smith was an esteemed American scientist in chemistry, who served as provost of the University of Pennsylvania from 1911 to 1920. He is well known for his historical approach to the study of chemistry, and was devoted to uniting the sciences with humanistic approaches. His primary fields included electrochemistry and research on rare earth elements. In 1898 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1926 was award the Priestley Medal.
McKenzie was not only a sculptor, but also a physician, an athlete, and an educator, finding an intersection of these traits within his art. Many of this sculptures feature poses of athletes in states of movement of physical stress. At the University of Pennsylvania Mackenzie served as Director of the Physical Education Department, in which he was able to develop his theories on health.
