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French, Daniel Chester,
Windrim, James H.,
Windrim, John T.,
Portrait male -- Smith, Richard
Occupation -- Industry
Occupation -- Science
Dress -- Accessory
Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Sculpture
The Smith Memorial: Richard Smith, (sculpture).
Artist:
French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931, sculptor.
Windrim, James H., 1840-1919, architect.
Windrim, John T., architect.
Title:
The Smith Memorial: Richard Smith, (sculpture).
Other Titles:
Richard Smith, (sculpture).
Dates:
Commissioned May 6, 1898. Modeled May 1899. Cast autumn 1901. Installed 1912.
Medium:
Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 10 x 4 x 3 ft.; Base: approx. 2 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. x 4 ft.
Inscription:
(Wall just below base:) RICHARD SMITH/TYPE FOUNDER
Description:
The Smith Memorial stands at the entrance to the west side of Fairmount Park and consists of two curving, neobaroque arches adorned with thirteen individual portrait sculptures (2 equestrians, 3 figures, and 8 busts); two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of 8 allegorical figures. The portrait of Richard Smith, the man who commissioned the memorial, is positioned on a small ledge against the front wall of the arch, just below the column supporting the portrait of John Fulton Reynolds. Smith, dressed in a heavy work apron, stands with both of his hands raised up toward his face. In his hands he holds a piece of type which he is examining.
Subject:
Portrait male -- Smith, Richard -- Full length
Occupation -- Industry -- Printing
Occupation -- Science -- Inventor
Dress -- Accessory -- Protective Gear
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Sculpture
Owner:
Coadministered by City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Commission, Memorial Hall, West Park, P. O. Box 21601, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131
Coadministered by Fidelity Bank, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Located Fairmount Park, West side of park, North Concourse Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Remarks:
Inscription on memorial reads: THIS/ MONUMENTAL MEMORIAL/ PRESENTED BY/ RICHARD SMITH/ TYPE FOUNDER/ OF PHILADELPHIA -/ IN MEMORY OF/ PENNSYLVANIANS WHO/ TOOK PART IN THE CIVIL WAR/ THEIR STRIFE WAS NOT FOR/ AGGRANDIZEMENT AND WHEN/ CONFLICT CEASED THE NORTH/ WITH THE SOUTH UNITED AGAIN/ TO ENJOY THE COMMON HERITAGE/ LEFT BY THE FATHERS OF OUR/ COUNTRY RESOLVING THAT/ THEREAFTER ALL OUR PEOPLE/ SHOULD DWELL TOGETHER/ IN UNITY.
In 1891, Richard Smith (1821-1894), a wealthy Philadelphia electroplate and type founder, created a will which provided $500,000 for a memorial arch to be adorned with portraits of Pennsylvania's Civil War military and naval heroes. Smith deposited the model and designs for the memorial with the Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company and stipulated that John B. Gest, president of Fidelity, should handle his request; that the architectural designs and construction should be handled by Philadelphia architect James H. Windrim; and that the selection and supervision of sculptors for the specified portraits should be handled by the Fairmount Park Art Association. The will went into effect upon the death of Smith's wife in 1895, but it was not until 1897 that the Fairmount Park Art Association began work on selecting the sculptors. On May 8, 1898, the initial commissions were awarded, but it was not until 1912 that the last sculpture was installed.
References:
Ambler, Louise Todd & Marilyn Gage Hyson, unpublished checklist, 2001-2003.
Public Monument Conservation Project, 1986.
Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 168-179.
Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 208.
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.
Illustration:
Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 177.
Note:
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.
Repository:
Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Control Number:
IAS PA000526
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
PA000526
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