Tecumseh, (sculpture).

Tecumseh, (sculpture).

J.L. Mott Iron Works, founder.

Tecumseh, (sculpture).

J. Fitzhugh Thorton Memorial, (sculpture).

Fitzhugh Thornton Memorial Statue, (sculpture).

Fernbank Indian, (sculpture).

Sayler Park Indian, (sculpture).

Thornton Indian, (sculpture).

1912. Dedicated Jan. 15, 1912. Reinstalled April 14, 1941. Reinstalled Feb. 9, 1966.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: zinc, or cast zamic, or cast iron, painted; Base: cast iron, painted; Foundation: concrete.

Figure of a male Native American dressed in pants trimmed in fringe, a wide belt and fur pelt tied around his waist, and a cape draped over his shoulders. There is a narrow strap across his chest and on his head he wears a headband adorned with three feathers in the front. Around his neck is a bear claw necklace. In his proper left hand he holds a bow. His proper right hand once held an arrow that is now missing. The figure is placed on an elaborate cast iron base that is decorated with a lion head on each side and a fluted basin on two sides.

Portrait male -- Tecumseh -- Full length

Ethnic -- Indian -- Shawnee

Homage -- Thorton, J. Fitzhugh

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Cincinnati

Administered by City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Park Board, 950 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Located Traffic circle at Thorton & Gracely Avenues in the Sayler Park neighborhood, Cincinnati, Ohio

Tecumseh was the Shawnee intertribal leader who lead the resistance to expansionism in the region that is now Ohio. The sculpture was given by Eliza M. Thorton in memory of her husband, J. Fitzhugh Thornton, a Sayler Park resident. The traffic circle where the sculpture is installed was originally at the edge of the Thornton's property. The sculpture was hit by a car and severely damaged in December 1940. Because it appeared beyond repair, the sculpture was sold for $10.00 to an Aurora, Indiana antiques dealer, Mrs. Harry Doctor. Mr. Harry Doctor was able to repair the sculpture and for $300.00 sold it back to the residents of Sayler Park who were angry over its loss. The sculpture was reinstalled on April 14, 1941, but was again hit by a car on December 31, 1965. The base and pedestal were damaged and the sculpture was knocked off the base and landed on the car. One of the legs was also broken off of the figure. This time the sculpture was quickly repaired and was reinstalled on February 9, 1966.

IAS files contain a March 1993 report by the Historic Conservation Office, City Planning Department, entitled "Conservation Guidelines: Sayler Park Indian Statue," which includes detailed information on the sculpture and an illustration from the J.L. Mott Iron Works 1873 catalog. IAS files also contain an excerpt from an unpublished report by Cincinnati's Municipal Reference Bureau and a related article from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 14, 1985, pg. D1. For additional information see: Cincinnati Post, Dec. 27, 1984; July 31, 1985; Jan. 16, 1990; and Sept. 15, 1983; Cincinnati Magazine (Sept. 1975), pg. 70; and "A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors," Cincinnati: The Historical Society of Cincinnati, 1987, pg. 476.

Sources differ over the media of the sculpture: zamic was provided by the "Art in the Park" publication; Zinc was provided by the SOS! survey; and cast iron was provided by both the Historic Conservation Office's "Conservation Guidelines: Sayler Park Indian Statue" and an excerpt from an unpublished report by Cincinnati's Municipal Reference Bureau.

Cincinnati Park Board, "Art in the Park," Cincinnati, OH., n. d.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Cincinnati survey, 1993.

Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 14, 1985, pg. D1.

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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