Alma Mater, (sculpture).

Alma Mater, (sculpture).

French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931, sculptor.

McKim, Charles Follen, 1847-1909, architect.

Jno. Williams, Inc., founder.

McKim, Mead & White, architectural firm.

Alma Mater, (sculpture).

1900-1903. Installed 1903. Dedicated September 23, 1903.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite or marble.

Sculpture: approx. 8 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft. 8 1/2 in. x 6 ft. 2 in.; Base: approx. 1 ft. x 5 ft. 10 1/2 in. x 6 ft. 4 in. (4 tons).

D. C. French Sc-1903/JNO. Williams/Bronze Foundry.New York. (Back of sculpture:) IN LUMINE TUO VIDEBIMUS LUMEN (Back of base:) IN MEMORY OF ROBERT GOELET CLASS OF 1860 (Copper inlay on front of base:) IN MEMORY OF/ROBERT GOELET/CLASS OF 1860 (Front of base:) ALMA MATER signed Founder's mark appears.

Draped in an academic gown, the female figure of Alma Mater wears a crown of laurels and sits on a throne. The scroll-like arms of the throne end in lamps, representing Doctrina and Sapientia. A book signifying knowledge, balances on her lap, and an owl, the attribute of wisdom, is seen in the folds of the gown. Her right hand holds a scepter composed of four sprays of wheat, terminating with a crown of King's College which refers to Columbia's orgin as a Royalist institution in 1754.

Figure female -- Full length

Allegory -- Arts & Sciences -- Education

Object -- Written Matter -- Book

Object -- Other -- Scepter

Animal -- Bird -- Owl

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- New York

Administered by Columbia University, Office of Art Properties, West Gallery - Low Library, New York, New York 10027

Located Columbia University, Low Library, New York, New York 10027

Architect of the Low Library, Charles Follen McKim of the firm McKim, Mead & White, invited French to execute this sculpture which was to harmonize with his larger composition of the court and library. The base was designed by McKim, Mead & White. The sculpture was a gift of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Goelet, Jr. Originally, the sculpture was coated with gold leaf. During a student demonstration in 1968, a bomb damaged the sculpture, but it has since been repaired. The actress Mary Lawton was said to have posed for parts of the of the sculpture. SOS survey listed base medium as marble; Gayle and Cohen publication listed the base medium as granite.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Richman, Michael, "Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor," New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1976, pg. 90-96.

Gayle, Margot & Michele Cohen, "Guide to Manhattan's Outdoor Sculpture," New York: Prentice Hall, 1988, pg. 296.

Lederer, Joseph, "All Around the Town: A Walking Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in New York City," New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, NY5117, 1989.

Monumental News, Nov. 1903; April 1905.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York, New York survey, 1993.

Monumental News, Nov. 1903, pg. 647.

Richman, Michael, "Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor," New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1976, pg. 90.

Gayle, Margot & Michele Cohen, "Guide to Manhattan's Outdoor Sculpture," New York: Prentice Hall, 1988, pg. 296.

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

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