Negro Soldier, (sculpture).

Negro Soldier, (sculpture).

Lewis, James E., 1923-1997, sculptor.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

Lawrence Construction Company, contractor.

Negro Soldier, (sculpture).

Commissioned 1968. 1971. Installed May 1972. Relocated Jan. 12, 2007.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 9 ft. x 36 in. x 55 in.; Base: approx. 54 x 39 1/2 x 39 1/2 in.

(On sculpture rear proper left:) SCULPTOR JAMES E. LEWIS/1971 (On sculpture, rear, proper right:) ROMAN BRONZE WORKS/INC NY (On plaque on base:) DEDICATED TO THE/MEMORY OF/THE NEGRO HEROES/OF THE UNITED STATES/"SLEEP IN PEACE/SLAIN IN THY COUNTRY'S WAR"/A GIFT TO/THE CITY OF BALTIMORE/BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR/SCULPTOR JAMES E. LEWIS, 1971 (Sash held by figure contains the dates of all conflicts in which Negro soldiers fought, from 1775 to 1970) signed Founder's mark appears.

Full-length figure of a uniformed African American soldier stands on a square base. The uniform is contemporary and includes a round hard hat, a jacket and boots. The figure holds a wreath in his upraised proper right hand. Hanging from the wreath, is a scroll or sash which lists the years in which American negroes fought, from the American revolution to Vietnam.

History -- United States -- Military history

Figure male -- Full length

Ethnic -- African American

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- Baltimore

Administered by City of Baltimore, Recreation and Parks, 2600 Madison Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21217

Located War Memorial Plaza, Fayette & Commerce Streets, Baltimore, Maryland

Formerly located Battle Monument Plaza, Calvert & Lexington Streets, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 until 2007.

The sculpture was commissioned by an anonymous donor as a gift to the City of Baltimore. The cost was $30,000. Controversy arose over the placement of the statue at the site of the Battle Monument (IAS 75005996). Some felt that the addition of any sculpture to Battle Monument Plaza would diminish the significance of the Battle Monument, the City's first monument to the War of 1812 and reportedly the nation's first memorial to its war dead. Others raised concerns that a monument representative of one ethnic group as opposed to an individual would have a polarizing effect in the City. IAS files contain articles from The Morning Sun (Baltimore, MD), Oct. 4, 1968 and March 24, 1972; and The Evening Sun (Baltimore, MD), Oct. 14, 1971; Nov. 19, 1971; and May 31, 1972; and The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD), Jan. 13, 2007 detailing the move from Battle Monument Plaza to War Memorial Plaza. For additional information, see The Morning Sun (Baltimore, MD), June 12, 1963 and March 19, 1972.

In 1981, the sculpture was hot waxed by Steven Tatti, and has had cold wax treatments bi-annually since then.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland, Baltimore survey, 1993.

Inventory Staff, 2011.

Baltimore Sun, May 31, 1972, pg. C1.

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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