Franklin Bachelder Simmons: A Sculptor of American Realism and Historical Grandeur Born in Webster, Maine, in 1839, Franklin Bachelder Simmons emerged as a significant figure in late 19th-century American sculpture. His early life in Bath and Lewiston instilled within him a deep appreciation for the landscapes and people of his native state, experiences that would profoundly influence his artistic vision. Simmons’s journey began with an apprenticeship under John Bradley Hudson Jr., a traveling landscape painter who recognized Simmons's innate talent for three-dimensional form and steered him…