William Coleman Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

William Coleman Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Stackpole, Ralph, 1885-1973, sculptor.

Joseph Musto Keenan Company, contractor.

William Coleman Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Commissioned 1924. Modelled July 1925. Base erected: Sept. 1926. Fountain dedicated Feb. 26, 1927.

Digital Reference:

Fountain: stone, possibly marble; Base: concrete.

Fountain: approx. H. 15 ft. x Diam. 6 ft.; Base: approx. H. 4 ft. x Diam. 8 ft.; Basin: approx. H. 2 ft. x Diam. 32 ft. (10 1/2 tons).

A fountain with figures of three Native-American women, depicted in relief around the perimeter of the lower section. The women are seen standing, dressed in long robes, holding their arms above their heads. Water pours from the upper basin above the figures, down the sides of the figures, and into the large reflecting pool and larger basin below. The figures represent the area's three major rivers - the Sacramento, American and Feather.

Figure group -- Female

Ethnic -- Indian

Homage -- Coleman, William P.

Occupation -- Monetary -- Banker

Occupation -- Other -- Real Estate

Allegory -- Place -- Sacramento

Landscape -- River -- American River

Landscape -- River -- Sacramento River

Landscape -- River -- Feather River

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Sacramento

Administered by City of Sacramento, City Parks and Recreation, 1231 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814

Located Plaza Park, 10th & J Streets, Sacramento, California

The fountain was a bequest of Mrs. Florence F. Coleman, in memory of her late husband William P. Coleman, a prosperous Sacramento banker and real estate developer. Mrs. Coleman died in 1910 and left $30,000 to the City to erect a fountain in memory of her husband. In 1916, Amanda Austin, a close friend of Mrs. Coleman's was chosen to design the fountain. Unfortunately, Austin died in 1917, prior to completing the design, and Austin's estate was not settled until 1919. A changeover in city government from a commission to a city council and controversy over the selection of a new artist and proposed location of the fountain further delayed the project. In 1924, a contract was finally awarded to Ralph Stackpole and marble was ordered at a cost of $3,340 from the Joseph Musto Keenan Company. The artist was paid $18,500.

IAS files contain a related article from the Sacramento Bee, Feb. 26, 1927, pg. 1, 5. IAS files contain a related excerpt from William E. Mahan's "Ralph Stackpole's Fresco at Sacramento City College." IAS files contain additional bibliographic citations.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California, Sacramento survey, 1994.

Mahan, William E. "Ralph Stackpole's Fresco at Sacramento City College," pg. 9.

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 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

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

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System