The Hiker, (sculpture).

The Hiker, (sculpture).

Kitson, Theo Alice Ruggles, 1871-1932, sculptor.

Gorham Manufacturing Company, founder.

The Hiker, (sculpture).

1902. Dedicated Oct. 10, 1937.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze with green patina; Base: stone.

Sculpture: approx. H. 8 ft. 5 in. x W. 4 ft.; Base: approx. H. 4 ft. x W. 8 ft.

(On rear of proper right heel of soldier:) GORHAM CO. FOUNDERS (On cruciform plaque on front of base, clockwise from top:) CUBA/PORTO-RICO/U.S.A./PHILIPPINE ISLANDS/SPANISH WAR VETERANS 1898-1902 Founder's mark appears.

A Spanish American War soldier stands with legs apart, holding a rifle across his hips with the barrel of the rifle in his proper left hand and the butt of the rifle in his proper right hand, index finger on the trigger. He is dressed in a shirt with rolled-up sleeves and knee-high boots. He wears a low-slung ammunition belt and a canteen over his proper left shoulder, crossing his chest to rest behind his proper right hip. A pouch is worn over his proper right shoulder and rests behind his proper left hip. He wears a brimmed hat which is tilted to the proper right side. The sculpture is mounted on a rough, rocky base with the Spanish American War Veterans plaque on the front.

History -- United States -- Spanish American War

History -- United States -- Philippine Insurrection

History -- United States -- China Relief Expedition

Portrait male -- Sefing, Leonard, Jr. -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Allentown

Administered by City of Allentown, Parks Department, 2700 Parkway Boulevard, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104

Located Spanish War Veterans Plaza, 28th & Tilghman Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Nearby plaque reads: 1898 1902/ERECTED BY THE COUNTY OF LEHIGH,/THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN AND GEORGE/H. SCHWARTZ CAMP, No. 2, UNITED SPANISH/WAR VETERANS-TO COMMEMORATE THE/VALOR AND PATRIOTISM OF THOSE WHO/SERVED IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN, THE/PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION AND THE/CHINA RELIEF EXPEDITION/DEDICATED OCTOBER 10TH, 1937.

Allentown native and Spanish American War veteran, Leonard Sefing, Jr., was the model for the final design of the original "Hiker" sculpture, of which this sculpture is a reproduction. Sefing's photograph was submitted by a local photographer to a national contest seeking the ideal Spanish American War soldier. IAS files contain related excerpts from Myra Yellin Goldfarb's "Stepping Stones into the Past: Allentown's Outdoor Public Sculptures, 1900-1988," City of Allentown, pg. 8-9; and "Sculpture in the Park: From the Collection of Muriel and Philip Berman," City of Allentown.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.0

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System