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Calder, Alexander Stirling,
Portrait male -- Whitman, Marcus
Occupation -- Medicine
Occupation -- Other
Occupation -- Religion
Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Sculpture
Witherspoon Building Figures: Marcus Whitman, (sculpture).
Artist:
Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945, sculptor.
Title:
Witherspoon Building Figures: Marcus Whitman, (sculpture).
Other Titles:
Marcus Whitman, (sculpture).
Dates:
1898-1899. Relocated 1961.
Digital Reference:
Medium:
Sculpture: cast stone; Base: cast stone.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. H. 108 in.; Base: approx. 8 x 34 x 34 in.
Inscription:
(Sculpture, along rim of wagon wheel:) PER.ARDVA.SRVGO 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 Marcus Whitman dressed in an open, knee-length, fur-trimmed coat, buttoned vest, knickers, stockings, scarf, and a coon-skin hat. He stands next to a sixteen-spoke wagon wheel. His proper left leg is forward and his proper left hand rests on the rim of the wagon wheel. He has a full beard and moustache and he looks off to his proper right. Constructed of four or five hollow, cast-stone segments joined by a 1/2-3/4 inch thick layer of mortar, the figure of Marcus Whitman rests on a low, cast stone base.
Subject:
Portrait male -- Whitman, Marcus -- Full length
Occupation -- Medicine -- Doctor
Occupation -- Other -- Pioneer
Occupation -- Religion -- Missionary
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.
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.
Marcus Whitman (1802-1847) was a doctor who helped forge the Oregon trail during his trip to Oregon in 1835. He went as a missionary and became a member of the first Protestant church in the Oregon territory.
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 88320054
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
88320054
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