Deer, (sculpture).

Deer, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Unknown (New Orleans, Louisiana), founder. (possibly by)

Deer, (sculpture).

Sculpture: iron.

Sculpture: approx. 4 ft. 10 in. x 5 ft. x 17 ft.; Base: approx. 1 in x5 ft. x 17 ft.

Standing deer with its head turned slightly to the proper right.

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Administered by City of Pittsburgh, Citiparks, Department of Public Works, 611 Second Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Located West Park, Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This piece was installed when the area was still Allegheny City. Sculpture considered one of the first public pieces in the city. Popular legend says that the deer arrived as a result of an unlucky hunting trip in the 1870s. James B. Orr, a councilman, promised to bring back a trophy head for the Mayor's office. It was when he returned without even sighting a deer, that he decided to have the iron stag mounted in West Park. At some point, the deer's antlers were removed and its ears were blunted because the points were considered too dangerous for the children who climb on the deer. During World War II, the deer was almost scrapped, but public sentiment rescued it. IAS files contain related article from Pittsburgh Press, January 21, 1968, pg. 18 which discusses the 1968 restoration of the piece and includes photographs of the restoration.

In 1968, the deer's head and other pieces were recast from molds made of the original.

Evert, Marilyn, "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture," Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983, pg. 21.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, PA0148, 1989.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

SOS Assessment Award, 1999.

Evert, Marilyn, "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture," Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983, pg. 52.

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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