Bitter, Karl Theodore Francis

Bitter, Karl Theodore Francis, 1867–1915, American sculptor, b. Austria. Having done some decorative modeling in Austria, Bitter soon found work when he came to the United States in 1889. His work for the Chicago exposition (1893) brought him similar opportunities for ornamental sculpture at the Buffalo (1901) and St. Louis (1904) expositions. Many private and public buildings in New York and elsewhere are adorned by his designs, notably the reliefs in the Pennsylvania RR station, Philadelphia. His best statues and memorials include a bust of Dr. William Pepper (Philadelphia); the equestrian statue of Franz Sigel and the Carl Schurz Memorial (New York); the Villard Memorial (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.); and the Hubbard Memorial (Montpelier, Vt.). At the height of his career he was struck and killed by an automobile.