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More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     Cook, John M.,     Crawford, Thomas,     Figure female -- Waist length     Allegory -- Civic     Animal -- Bird     Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- St. Michael's     Figurehead     Sculpture

Figurehead for Freedom, (sculpture). Artist:  Cook, John M., sculptor. Crawford, Thomas, 1813?-1857, sculptor. (copy after) Title:  Figurehead for Freedom, (sculpture). Other Titles:  Freedom, (sculpture). Miss Freedom, (sculpture). Figurehead of Yacht Freedom, IX43, (sculpture). Dates:  ca. 1940-1950. Medium:  Sculpture: Honduras mahogany and white pine, painted, with plywood backing; Post: steel. Dimensions:  Sculpture: approx. 6 x 5 1/2 x 5 ft.; Post: approx. 5 ft. x 2 in. x 4 in. Description:  A ship's figurehead depicting the torso of a woman with blond ringlets, blue eyes, and red lips. Her dress is blue with red trim. She wears a gold headdress comprised of an eagle with spread wings and a circle of seven stars. Subject:  Figure female -- Waist length Allegory -- Civic -- Liberty Animal -- Bird -- Eagle Object Type:  Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- St. Michael's Figurehead Sculpture Owner:  On loan to Chesapeake Maritime Museum, Navy Point, Mill Street & Main Street, P. O. Box 636, St. Michael's, Maryland 21663 Lent by United States Naval Academy, The Museum, 118 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5034 Accession Number: 66-37-2 Remarks:  The figurehead was carved by John M. Cook, a Naval Academy instructor, for a schooner called "Freedom" which was used to teach small craft seamanship. The schooner was donated to the Academy in 1940 by sportsman Sterling Morton, who had the vessel built in 1931. At the request of the captain in charge of small craft, Mr. Cook modeled the figurehead after the statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol dome, by Thomas Crawford. The figurehead was placed on the schooner, but removed shortly after by order of the original captain's successor. It was placed in the Naval Academy Museum where it became traditional for midshipmen to touch the figure's breast for luck before exams. The figurehead is currently on loan to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and partially sheltered by shed roof. IAS files contain a Restoration/Maintenance Report dated March 19, 1984 which details the replacement and repainting of the figure's face. The face was removed in two vertical parts and the left half was used as a model. A new face was carved in white pine and given a sealant before being repainted. The woodwork was done by John Scofield and the painting was done by Rick Hester. Nearby plaque reads: FIGUREHEAD FOR FREEDOM/THIS FIGURE WAS CARVED FOR THE U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY'S FAMOUS/89-FOOT SCHOONER FREEDOM. FREEDOM WAS DESIGNED BY JOHN G. ALDEN/AND BUILT IN 1931 FOR STERLING MORTON, WHO DONATED THE YACHT TO/THE ACADEMY IN 1940/ON LOAN FROM THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY MUSEUM 66-37-2 References:  Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland survey, 1994. Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985. Illustration:  Image on file. Note:  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. Repository:  Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number:  IAS MD000532   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Sculpture MD000532 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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