He emigrated to the United States in 1848 because he had been conscripted against his will in the revolution of 1848 and was guilty of firing on his own captain. He escaped and lived briefly in New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, and Buenos Aires before settling in Philadelphia.
In 1850, he started a woodcarving business and was successful with commissions from local patrons for decorative projects. In 1854, he opened a sculpture studio and first worked as a wood carver and wax modeler but then became a specialist in portrait busts in bronze. His bust of George Washington was placed at Independence Hall and later moved to the National Portrait Gallery.worked in stone and bronze as well as wood. One of his commissions was the carving of ornamental sculpture for the Academy of Music, built in 1855-57. In 1860, he was elected an Academician of the Pennsylvania Academy and became an instructor in modeling there from 1876-1877. Among his students was Alexander Milne Calder.
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