The Apotheosis of St. Louis, (sculpture).

The Apotheosis of St. Louis, (sculpture).

Niehaus, Charles Henry, 1855-1935, sculptor.

Hodges, W. R., contractor.

E. L. Smith & Company, contractor.

Winslow Bros. Company, founder.

The Apotheosis of St. Louis, (sculpture).

1903. Cast 1906. Dedicated October 4, 1906.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze with dark brown patina; Base: Barre white granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 20 ft.; Base: approx. 19 ft. 6 in. x 13 ft. x 20 ft. 6 in.

(On front of base:) PRESENTED TO THE/CITY OF ST. LOUIS BY THE/LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION COMPANY/IN COMMEMORATION OF THE/UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION OF 1904/HELD ON THIS SITE (On east and west sides of base:) SAINT LOUIS

"Male figure in 13th century dress (chain mail, helmet) seated on striding horse. The horse also wears armor and flowing drapery. The proper right arm of the figure is raised, holding aloft a sword, in the configuration of a Christian cross. The sculpture is cast bronze, and is mounted on a massive granite pedestal. A fascese runs around the perimeter, 3 feet from the ground, and there is a decorative cornice near the top of the pedestal."

Portrait male -- Louis IX -- Full length

Occupation -- Other -- Aristocrat

Religion -- Saint -- St. Louis

History -- Religion -- Crusades

History -- Medieval -- France

Dress -- Historic -- Medieval Dress

Dress -- Historic -- Armor

Object -- Weapon -- Sword

Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis

Administered by City of St. Louis, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, 5600 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110

Located Forest Park, In Front of St. Louis Art Museum (North Entrance), St. Louis, Missouri

Charles Henry Niehaus modeled the original plaster sculpture which stood at the main entrance gate of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition grounds in St. Louis, 1904. After the fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company decided to present a permanent cast to the city. A dispute with Niehaus followed, and subsequently W. R. Hodges was chosen to reproduce the monument in bronze. Monument committee: Directors of Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company. Cost: $42,285. The bronze monument was placed in front of the art museum in 1906.

IAS files contain copies of articles from the Independence Examiner (Independence, Missouri), June 24, 1935, which mentions use of a silhouette image of the sculpture on the flag of the City of St. Louis; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, n.d., which discusses vandalism of the base, including a photograph of the damage; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 17, 1977, which discusses theft of the sword from the figure's hand; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 25, 1982, which discusses the dispute between the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company and the sculptor over the bronze casting of the sculpture after the plaster original; and Clayton Citizen Journal (Clayton, Missouri), Feb. 3, 1988, which discusses fundraising for conservation of the sculpture.

IAS files also contain copies from unpublished 1969 mayor's report; and an article from Gateway Heritage magazine (Summer 1988), in which author Theodore Finkelston details the dispute between the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company and Charles Henry Niehaus over the bronze casting after the plaster sculpture made for the fair. Finkelston's article also discusses the dedication ceremony, and the use of the image of the sculpture as a logo.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri, St. Louis survey, 1993.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MO5020, 1989.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Clayton Citizen Journal (Clayton, Missouri), Feb. 3, 1988.

McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1988.

Finkelston, Theodore, "The Apotheosis of St. Louis: Politics, Ego, and High Ideals in the Making of a Civic Symbol," Gateway Heritage 9 (Summer 1988): pg. 2-11.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 25, 1982.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 17, 1977.

Loughlin, Caroline, and Catherine Anderson, "Forest Park," Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1976.

The Independence Examiner (Independence, Missouri), June 24, 1935.

Monumental News (Aug. 1905).

Monumental News (May 1920).

Monumental News (Aug. 1905): pg. 552.

Monumental News (May 1920): cover.

McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1983, pg. 54.

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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