Pvt. Fair, (sculpture).

Pvt. Fair, (sculpture).

J. W. Carpenter & Son, fabricator.

Pvt. Fair, (sculpture).

Private Fair, (sculpture).

Civil War Soldiers Monument, (sculpture).

1884. Dedicated July 31, 1884. Relocated 1948. Rededicated Nov. 11, 1993.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: Carrara marble; Base: marble.

Sculpture: approx. H. 9 ft. 6 in.; Base: approx. H. 10 in. x Diam. 33 in.

Full-length marble figure of a Union soldier. He wears a uniform and overcoat; the cape of the overcoat is thrown over his proper right shoulder. He holds a rifle; the butt of the gun rests on the ground in front of his proper right foot. The marble sculpture rests on a low, round marble base which is situated under a portico surrounded by a low fence.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Portrait male -- Fair, George -- Full length

Portrait male -- Fair, William -- Full length

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Dayton

Coadministered by Veterans Administration, VA Patient Tower 4100 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio 45417

Coadministered by City of Dayton, Department of Public Works, P. O. Box 22 Dayton, Ohio 45401

Located Veterans Hospital, Portico, Dayton, Ohio

Formerly located Sunrise Park, Riverview Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 1948-1992.

Formerly located Main Street, Dayton, Ohio 1884-1948.

Nearby plaque: "Private Fair. This statue originally capped Dayton's Civil War monument first erected in 1884 at the center of Main and Monument Streets. Built to honor the nation's Union veterans, Pvt. George Washington Fair of Dayton served as its model. In 1948, the monument was moved across the river to Sunrise Park on Riverview Avenue. In 1991, when it was returned to its present downtown location, a new bronze statue was cast using this original as its model. To preserve the original statue from further damage by the elements, "Private Fair" was rededicated on these grounds in 1993. It is fitting that here at this site, originally founded in 1867 as the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Pvt. Fair has found shelter at last."

See OH000649 for related record of new bronze casting. Conflicting sources list George Fair and William Fair as model for the sculpture. The base of the sculpture contains two time capsules from 1884 and one time capsule which was placed at the time of the 1948 relocation. IAS files contain copy of related Press Release from the City of Dayton, copy of 1993 Dedication Ceremony Program, and sketches for the placement of the sculpture at the 1993 location. IAS files contain copies of related articles from Dayton Herald, 1948 and Dayton Daily News, Nov. 11, 1993.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio survey, 1993.

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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