The Davis Memorial, (sculpture).

The Davis Memorial, (sculpture).

Unknown (Italian), sculptor.

The Davis Memorial, (sculpture).

Carrara marble, granite.

12 sculptures. Sculptures: approx. H. 5 ft. 4 in. - 5 ft. 8 in.

(On three sides of canopy, raised:) DAVIS (On fourth side of canopy:) DAVIS - JOHN M. - SARAH E. (On front face of back of empty granite chair:) THE VACANT CHAIR (On granite urns placed on the four corners of the memorial:) KINDLY KEEP OFF THE MEMORIAL unsigned

A large, square, gray marble enclosure, partially covered by a gray marble canopy supported by square gray marble pillars. Eleven life-size, full-length marble and granite figures of John and Sarah Davis are situated by pairs throughout the enclosure. Also placed throughout the enclosure are marble and granite urns. The granite urns are placed on all four corners of the enclosure, and sit atop a low marble wall. Gray marble urns rest beside many of the figures standing in the memorial. Inset into each of the four low gray marble walls enclosing the memorial are two blocks of pink granite outlined by thin blocks of white stone.

The first pair of figures are of white marble and depict the Davises as they appeared in 1890. He stands facing south. He is bearded and wears a suit and vest. Behind his proper left leg is a tree stump which ends just above the back of his knee. She stands opposite, facing him. She is depicted in her late twenties and wears her hair in a bun. She wears a high-neck jacket with tightly fitted bodice and a floor-length skirt. A long scarf drapes down from the back and is knotted at her knees. The top of her jacket bodice has an intricate, raised pattern.

The second pair of figures are of white marble and depict the Davises sometime before 1898. They sit on a 6-foot long white marble settee, he on the proper right, she on the proper left. Both figures look straight ahead. He wears a suit, tie and vest and is clean-shaven. His proper right arm rests on the settee arm; his proper left arm rests in his lap. She wears a high-neck, ankle-length dress. A cameo pin is centered in the middle of the neck. She is turned toward him at a 30 degree angle. Both hands lay clasped in her lap.

A third pair of marble figures depict the elderly Davises. Each is seated in a marble overstuffed easy chair and faces out from the memorial. His chair is to the proper right of hers. He is bearded and wears a suit. He is depicted with only the proper right hand, which rests on the arm of the chair. The sleeve on his proper left arm lies limp on the other arm of the chair. He looks down and to the proper left. She sits to his proper left and wears a long-skirted, belted suit and blouse with a bow at the neck. Her proper right hand rests on her lap; the proper left hand rests on the arm of the chair.

A fourth pair of figures depict the elderly Davises in 1930. They stand facing each other; he faces south, she faces north. He wears a suit; the top button of the suit jacket is buttoned. In his proper right hand he holds a hat. The sleeve of his proper left arm hangs at his side with no hand. He is bearded. Behind his proper left leg is a tree stump which ends at the top of his leg. She wears a long skirt and knee-length, belted coat. Her hair is pulled back in a bun; in her proper left hand she holds a hat. She is smiling and looking down.

A fifth pair of marble figures are kneeling at the grave markers on the ground of the memorial. Mr. Davis kneels before his wife's grave, and she before his. He kneels on his proper right knee; his proper right hand rests on his knee and holds a wreath of flowers. The sleeve of his proper left arm lies on his raised proper left knee. He wears a suit and has a full beard. She is depicted as an angel with wings, long flowing robe and head scarf. The face is that of the elderly Mrs. Davis. Her proper left hand is touching her forehead and scarf. Her proper right hand rests on her proper right knee and holds a wreath of flowers. Her proper left elbow rests on her raised proper left knee.

The final figure is in granite and depicts Mr. Davis sitting in an easy chair. He sits to the proper right of an empty granite easy chair. He has a full beard and wears a suit. His proper right hand rests on the arm of the chair; his proper left sleeve is handless and rests on the arm of the chair. He gazes straight ahead.

Portrait female -- Davis, Sarah E. -- Full length

Portrait male -- Davis, John M. -- Full length

Object -- Furniture -- Couch

Object -- Furniture -- Chair

Object -- Other -- Vase

Religion -- Angel

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kansas -- Hiawatha

Administered by Mt. Hope Cemetery Board, Hiawatha, Kansas 66434

Located Mt. Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha, Kansas

The memorial was erected by Mr. Davis after the death of his wife, Sarah, in 1930. The figures were carved in Carrara, Italy and were based on photographs of the couple. Cost estimates of the memorial range from $100,000 to $1 million. IAS files contain copies of related articles from various newspapers; and brochure entitled "The Internationally Known Davis Memorial of Hiawatha, Kansas in Mr. Hope Cemetery". It is reported that Mr. Davis used industrial cleaning solutions, which ate away at the surface of the marble, to clean the figures. Mr. Davis had his left hand amputated in 1908 following a farm accident.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kansas survey, 1994.

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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