Henry Howard Houston Memorial, (sculpture).

Henry Howard Houston Memorial, (sculpture).

Rhind, John Massey, 1860-1936, sculptor.

Jno. Williams, Inc., founder.

Henry Howard Houston Memorial, (sculpture).

H. H. Houston, (sculpture).

ca. 1900. Installed 1900.

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 114 in.; Base: approx. H. 86 1/2 in.

WILLIAMS FOUNDRY, N.Y. (On front of base:) HOUSTON Founder's mark appears.

Standing portrait of Henry H. Houston with his dog standing beside him on his proper left. He wears a knee-length overcoat with a suit jacket, a buttoned vest, and a bow tie at his neck. He carries his top hat and gloves in his proper right hand. He rests his proper left hand on back of his dog. He is depicted with a full beard and moustache. The sculpture rests atop a square base adorned with garlands on each side and a bull's head at each corner.

Portrait male -- Houston, Henry Howard -- Full length

Occupation -- Other -- Businessman

Dress -- Accessory -- Hat

Dress -- Accessory -- Glove

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania

Administered by City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Commission, Memorial Hall, West Park, P. O. Box 21601, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131

Located Fairmount Park, West side of park, Lincoln Drive & Harvey Street, Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Henry Howard Houston (1820-1895) organized the freight operation for the Pennsylvania Railroad and became a wealthy businessman through his investments in railroads, oil, and western gold mines. In the Philadelphia vicinity, he owned large pieces of land and helped to develop the Chestnut Hill area in particular by building both a church and a hotel. At his death he bequeathed a large piece of his land known as Wissahickon Heights to the Fairmount Park. The Fairmount Park Commissioners honored Houston's gift by commissioning a sculpture of him to be installed on his former property. The Commissioners selected the site in 1895 and in May of 1900, John Massey Rhind was paid $11,000 for the sculpture.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

City of Philadelphia, 1973.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 212.

Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 209.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, PA5151, 1989.

Monumental News, April 1905, pg. 280.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 212.

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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