He made several large monumental sculptures, including the tomb of the politician Stephen A. Douglas, and statues of American Civil War figures.

[1] Her maternal cousin, Stephen A. Douglas, was a nationally known politician who ran against Republican Abraham Lincoln as the Democratic Party presidential nominee in 1860.

From 1855 to 1857, Stephen A. Douglas, his wife's cousin, supported the family's travel to Rome so that Volk could pursue additional study.

[2] In the early part of spring 1860, during Lincoln's visit to Chicago, Volk asked him to sit for a bust.

Volk later used the life mask and bust of 1860 as the basis for other versions of Lincoln, including a full-size statue.

Leonard Volk died in Osceola, Wisconsin on August 19, 1895, and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.