Born on a Maryland farm near Union Bridge, William Rinehart became known for sculpture, especially marble* and bronze* portraits. He was such as success that by the mid-1860s, "patrons had to wait two or three years for completion of portrait busts." Also, "there was a steady demand for his ideal and memorial compositions."

As a young man, he became skilled at stone cutting, and in 1844, at age 19, he moved to Baltimore where he worked as foreman for Baughman and Bevan, the city's leading marble yard business. His formal training as a sculptor was minimal, but in 1850, he did study in evening classes at the Maryland Institute of Art*. The next year, he received a Gold Medal at the Institute fair f...