Nathan Hale, (sculpture).

Nathan Hale, (sculpture).

MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937, sculptor.

Bottinelli, Battista, sculptor.

Jaboeuf & Rouard Fondeurs, founder.

Nathan Hale, (sculpture).

1890. Cast 1934. Dedicated June 6, 1935.

Digital Reference:

Bronze on a granite base.

Sculpture: approx. 94 in. x 29 in. x 2 ft.; Pedestal: approx. H. 88 in. x Diam. 88 in.; Base: approx. H. 94 in. W. 20 in.

(Sculpture base east side:) F. MacMonnies 1890 (Sculpture base north side:) H. Rouard, Fondeur, Paris France (Base front inside bronze laurel wreath:) NATHAN HALE/BORN IN/COVENTRY CONNECTUCUT/JUNE 6, 1755/A SCHOOLMASTER/IN NEW LONDON/A CAPTAIN/IN THE CENTINENTAL ARMY/TO "Resigned His Life/A Sacrifice To His/Country's Liberty/At New York/Sept. 22D/1776. (Rear mid-section of granite base:) Erected (illegible inscription) 35 By The/Connecticut Society Of The/Sons Of The American Revolution/And By A/Great-Great-Granddaughter Of A/Connecticut Soldier In The/Continental Army (Around top of granite base:) "I Only Regret That I Have But One Life To Lose For My Country" signed Founder's mark appears.

Standing figure of Nathan Hale dressed in knee breeches, buckled shoes, waistcoat, knee-length overcoat, and a frilly shirt that is opened wide at the collar. His arms are bound with rope at the elbows and connected behind his back; the ankles are similarly tied and connected. Hale is depicted with long hair tied with a ribbon.

Portrait male -- Hale, Nathan -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Captain

Occupation -- Political -- Statesman

Occupation -- Education -- Teacher

Outdoor Sculpture -- Connecticut -- New London

Administered by City of New London, Public Works Department, 111 Union Street, New London, Connecticut 06320

Located Williams Park, New London, Connecticut 06320

IAS files contain a copy of Rogers, Ernest E., ed., "New London's Participation in Connecticut's Tercentenary - 1935," New London, CT: The New London County Historical Society, 1935, pg. 63-83 discussing the unveiling on the monument on Nathan Hale day June 6, 1935. The statue was commissioned under a $3,000 bequest of Carlotta Boone, of Syracuse, New York, who desired placing a statue of Nathan Hale at an appropriate Connecticut location. The bequest was made to the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. New London was selected because Nathan Hale was teaching school there when he joined the Continental Army at the time of the Battle of Lexington. The work is replica of the MacMonnies statue of Hale in City Hall Park in New York City. With the help of the artist, the original cast was located in Normandy and a replica was made in France. Battista Bottinelli produced the pedestal, a copy of the original done by Stanford White. The statue was unveiled on the 180th anniversary of Hale's birth. Funding for the pedestal and park siting was provided from the Otis K. Dimock Park Fund. The inscription on the elevated circular granite pedestal reads: This Granite Pedestal And/The Surrounding Approaches Were/Made Possible Through The Bequest Of/Otis K. Dimock/1840-1920.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey, 1993.

Smart, Mary, "A Flight with Fame: the life and art of Frederick MacMonnies, with a Catalogue Raisonne of Sculpture and a Checklist of Paintings by E. Adina Gordon," Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1996, pg. 289.

Rogers, Ernest E., ed., "New London's Participation in Connecticut's Tercentenary - 1935," New London, CT: The New London County Historical Society, 1935, pg. 63-83.

Rogers, Ernest E., ed., "New London's Participation in Connecticut's Tercentenary - 1935," New London, CT: The New London County Historical Society, 1935, pg. 73.

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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