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Calder, Alexander Stirling,
Portrait male -- McMillan, John
Dress -- Historic
Occupation -- Religion
Occupation -- Education
Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Sculpture
Witherspoon Building Figures: John McMillan, (sculpture).
Artist:
Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945, sculptor.
Title:
Witherspoon Building Figures: John McMillan, (sculpture).
Other Titles:
John McMillan, (sculpture).
Dates:
1898-1899. Relocated 1961.
Digital Reference:
Medium:
Sculpture: cast stone; Base: cast stone.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. H. 108 in.; Base: approx. H 6 in. W. 28 in.
Inscription:
unsigned
Description:
One of six figures of prominent Presbyterians which are installed in two groups of three along the wall of the building's courtyard. Portrait of John McMillan dressed in a knee-length coat over a hip-length buttoned vest, knickers, and stockings. He stands with his proper left arm behind his back, pulling back the left side of his coat. His proper right arm is bent and his hand rests in front of him at his waist. He looks forward and down slightly. His short, straight hair recedes a bit from his forehead. Constructed of five hollow, cast-stone segments joined by a 1/2-3/4 inch thick layer of mortar, the figure of John McMillan rests on a low, square-shaped, cast stone base with metal bands on two sides. A stack of five books rests on the base behind the figure.
Subject:
Portrait male -- McMillan, John -- Full length
Dress -- Historic -- Eighteenth Century Dress
Occupation -- Religion -- Clergy
Occupation -- Education -- Teacher
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Sculpture
Owner:
Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Courtyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147
Provenance:
Formerly located Witherspoon Building, Broad & Juniper streets, Walnut Street facade, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ca. 1899-1961.
Exhibitions:
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Sixty Seventh Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1898.
Remarks:
One of twelve large statues of significant American Presbyterian personalities which were installed on the seventh floor Walnut Street facade of the Witherspoon Building at Juniper and Walnut Streets from ca. 1899 until 1961. The Witherspoon Building, designed by architect Joseph M. Huston in 1896, was home to the Presbyterian Historical Society from 1898 to 1967. In later years, the large figures were considered a threat to the safety of pedestrians on the sidewalk below. In 1961, six of the sculptures were removed and stored pending the construction of the Presbyterian Historical Society's new building on Lombard Street. The relocation was funded under the city's one percent fine arts program. The six relocated figures are: Francis Makemie (IAS 76007256); John Witherspoon (IAS 88320050); John McMillan (IAS 88320051); Samuel Davies (IAS 88320052); James Caldwell (IAS 88320053); and Marcus Whitman (IAS 88320054). IAS files contain an excerpt from a Presbyterian Historical Society brochure which describes the six statues now located in the Society's courtyard.
John McMillan (1752-1833) was the first Presbyterian minister in western Pennsylvania. He established a school on his farm in Canonsburg in 1780.
A bronze plaque on the alcove wall adjacent to the statues on the west side reads: STATUES/LEFT TO RIGHT/FRANCIS MAKEMIE/C1658-1706/JOHN WITHERSPOON/1723-1794/JOHN MCMILLAN/1752-1833. A bronze plaque on the alcove wall adjacent to the statues on the east side reads: STATUES/LEFT TO RIGHT/SAMUEL DAVIES/1723-1761/JAMES CALDWELL/1734-1781/MARCUS WHITMAN/1802-1847
References:
Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.
Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 209.
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.
Illustration:
Image on file.
Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 209.
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 88320051
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
88320051
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