Olive Risley Seward, (sculpture).

Olive Risley Seward, (sculpture).

Cavanaugh, John, 1921-1985, sculptor.

Olive Risley Seward, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: lead over burlap; Base: stone with brick foundation.

Sculpture: approx. 72 x 24 x 27 in.; Stone base: approx. 30 x 18 x 18 in.

(Lower front of stone base:) OLIVE RISLEY SEWARD/1841-1908/SCULPTOR JOHN CAVANAUGH unsigned

Figure stands with her head pointed in the direction of Seward Square across the street. She wears a long dress and a cape tied around her neck. Her proper left hand is at her side clutching the folds of her cape. Her proper right hand is extended with palm facing upward. She stands on a stone base which rests on a three-brick-high base. Reliefs appear on all four sides of the stone base. The front panel is a person on a roof; left panel is a castle; rear panel is a tower with a wall around it. Reliefs are framed by roman-style arches.

Portrait female -- Seward, Olive Risley -- Full length

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Kresh, David & Diane, 601 North Carolina Avenue, S.E., Washington, District of Columbia 20002

Olive Risley Seward (1841-1908) was the foster daughter of William H. Seward, secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. The square across the street from the sculpture is named for Seward. His unpopular purchase of Alaska from Russia for seven million dollars was often referred to as Seward's folly. His wife and daughter Olive strongly influenced his abolitionist leanings. When Cavanaugh wanted to create this sculpture, he did not have an image of Olive, so he used an idealized image of a Victorian lady. Later when a photo of Olive was found, it turned out to very much resemble the sculpture. The sculpture is made from a 46-foot-square sheet of lead.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 85.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1994.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, A-36.

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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