Washington Irving Memorial, (sculpture).

Washington Irving Memorial, (sculpture).

French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931, sculptor.

Behrens, Ernest, contractor.

Gorham Manufacturing Company, founder.

Piccirilli Brothers Marble Carving Studios, fabricator.

Washington Irving Memorial, (sculpture).

Commissioned March 30, 1926. Dedicated June 27, 1927. Rededicated June 27, 1977. Rededicated Oct. 25, 1998.

Digital Reference:

Bust and reliefs: bronze; Base: pinkish granite.

Bust: approx. 34 x 32 x 13 in.; Reliefs: approx. H. 6 ft.; Base: approx. W. 162 in.

(On pedestal below bust:) WASHINGTON/IRVING/1783-1859/ESSAYIST POET/HISTORIAN TRAVELLER/DIPLOMATIST SOLDIER/THE FIRST AUTHOR OF/OUR REPUBLIC (Below relief on left:) BOABDIL/THE LAST KING OF GRANADA (Below relief on right:) RIP VAN WINKLE/THE DREAMER OF THE KAATSKILLS

A curved wall with bronze bust of Washington Irving on a pedestal in the center, flanked by bronze relief figures of Boabdil on the right and Rip Van Winkle on the left. Irving wears a coat with round lapels and an ascot tie. Boabdil wears a loose, robed garment, boots and a pointed cap, and holds a sword at his proper left side. Rip Van Winkle wears ragged clothes, including long coat and wide-brimmed hat, and holds a broken rifle at his proper right side.

Portrait male -- Irving, Washington -- Bust

Occupation -- Writer -- Author

Portrait male -- Boabdil -- Full Length

Ethnic -- Spanish

Literature -- Irving -- Alhambra

Literature -- Character -- Rip Van Winkle

Literature -- Irving -- Rip Van Winkle

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Tarrytown

Administered by National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W., Washington, District of Columbia 20036

Administered by Chesterwood, 4 Williamsville Road, P. O. Box 827, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01262

Located Corner of West Sunnyside Lane & Broadway, Tarrytown, New York

The memorial cost $41,500 and was commissioned by the Washington Irving Memorial Association, headed by Mrs. Jennie Prince Black. Mrs. Black first suggested the erection of a memorial during the observance of the 50th anniversary of the death of Washington Irving, Nov. 28, 1909, and the memorial committee was formed shortly after that. The land on which the memorial sits was donated by Harry Graves Jr., and is adjacent to the Sunnyside Estate, home to the Irving family. Contractor Ernest Behrens prepared the site for the memorial. The bronze casting was done by Gorham Manufacturing, and the marble work was done by the Piccirilli firm. The pedestal inscription was written by Mayor George Haven Putnam.

IAS files contain related articles from the Irvington Gazette, April 16, 1926 and Oct. 15, 1926, the Tarrytown Daily News, June 26, 1977 a press release from Sleepy Hollow Restorations, June 27, 1977 and pertinent correspondence, memorandum and documentation from Chesterwood. For related reading, see Irving's "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.," which contains the story of Rip Van Winkle and "A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada," which contains the story of Boabdil, Granada's last king. For additional information see The Journal News (Westchester, NY), June 12, 1998.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York survey, 1993.

SOS Assessment Award, 1998.

SOS Achievement Award, 1999.

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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.0

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System