Relief in Gable of Whipple Memorial Hall, (sculpture).

Relief in Gable of Whipple Memorial Hall, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Strickland, Sidney Talbot, architect.

Stanley, Horace C., contractor.

Strickland & Law, architectural firm.

Relief in Gable of Whipple Memorial Hall, (sculpture).

Approx. 10 x 5 x 1/2 ft.

(In center of relief, inscribed:) WHIPPLE/MEMORIAL/TOWN/HALL/A.D. 1917 unsigned

A relief, Rococo in style, comprised of five blocks of differing widths set within a brick wall on the upper pediment of the building's facade. The top block bears a relief of an imaginary animal's profile. The animal has a horse-like head, a tail, and two outstretched arms, the proper right of which carries a sword. The second, third, and fourth blocks share an elaborate design. In the center is an inscription in a cartouche. A decorated carved frame with an ornate border surrounds the inscription and a smaller oval beneath it. At the top of the middle blocks are the heads of two cherubs. The lowest block bears the head of another cherub, with its carved wings folded beneath it.

Religion -- Angel

Fantasy -- Animal -- Horse

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Hampshire -- New London

Administered by Town of New London, 120 Main Street, P. O. Box 240, New London, New Hampshire, 03257

Located Whipple Town Hall, Main Street, On pediment of facade, New London, New Hampshire

In 1913 the Town of New London voted to replace the old Town Hall. A building committee was appointed but the project was postponed. In 1915, Amos H. Whipple, a native of New London, died leaving $15,000 and a piece of land known as the "Nelson lot" to the town. In his will, Whipple expressed the desire to erect a Whipple Memorial Library. The town voted to accept the offer with stipulations. In 1917 the town passed another vote, with the approval of Sherman Whipple, the executer and trustee of his brother's will, to use the money for a new Town Hall instead of a library. In 1918 the town voted to use $1,500 for furnishings and grading the grounds. The architect selected by Whipple for the execution of the new Town Hall was Sidney Talbot Strickland of the Boston firm of Strickland and Law. Horace Stanley of New London was the contractor. The Town Hall was dedicated June 26, 1918. IAS files contain a related excerpt from James Duane Squires' "Mirror to America: A History of New London, New Hampshire, 1900-1950," Concord, NH: Evans Printing Co. Inc., 1952, t.p., pg. 34-37, 46, 47. IAS files contain a related article from The Journal-Transcript (Franklin, N.H.), June 27, 1918; and another related article.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Hampshire survey, 1994.

Squires, James Duane, "Mirror to America : a History of New London, New Hampshire, 1900-1950," Concord, New Hampshire: Evans Printing Company, 1952, t.p.

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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