C. S. Pietro Creating a Clay Model of John Burroughs at Woodchuck Lodge, 1915

Several wealthy individuals, including Henry Ford, commissioned C. S. Pietro to create statues of John Burroughs. In the mid-1910s, the sculptor traveled to Burroughs' home in the Catskills and fashioned clay models of the well-known naturalist and writer. Later, Pietro would create marble and bronze statues from these clay models for his patrons.