Mary Dyer, (sculpture).

Mary Dyer, (sculpture).

Judson, Sylvia Shaw, 1897-1978, sculptor.

Mary Dyer, (sculpture).

Original 1959. Cast 1960. Installed 1975. Rededicated April 23, 2002.

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: 83 x 53 x 39 1/2 in.; Base: 21 x 68 1/2 x 54 1/2 in.

(On the proper left side of the figure's bench, lower front corner, artist's monogram:) SSJ (On front of base:) MARY DYER/QUAKER WITNESS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM/HANGED ON BOSTON COMMON 1660/SYLVIA SHAW JUDSON SCULPTOR (On plaque on back of base:) A GIFT OF THE/FAIRMOUNT PARK ART ASSOCIATION/THIS STATUE WAS ERECTED BY THE/FRIENDS CENTER CORPORATION/IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE/REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY/OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA/IN MAY, 1975 signed

A seated figure of Mary Dyer dressed in the very simple attire of the Quakers. She wears a full length dress that wraps across her chest and ties at the waist. The dress has long sleeves with large cuffs. On her head is a small cap with a large cuff around the front edge. Her hair is tucked up under her cap with only a few bangs visible on her forehead. She is seated on a bench with her hands folded in her lap. She wears a somber expression and her eyes are cast downward. The sculpture rests on a low, rectangular base.

Portrait female -- Dyer, Mary -- Full length

Religion -- Quaker

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

On Loan to Friends Center and Meeting House, 1501-1521 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lent by Fairmount Park Art Association, 1616 Walnut Street, Suite 2012, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Formerly located Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Storage, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101 1961-1975.

Mary Dyer and her husband, William, were part of a group who left the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1636 to found a new settlement with Roger Williams in Aquidneck Island, now Rhode Island. Later, Mary Dyer accompanied her husband on a trip to England, where she became influenced by Friends doctrine of George Fox. She became a convinced Friend and a Quaker minister. Along with other Friends, she preached the belief that God dwells in everyone so there is no need for a "hireling clergy." The tenets of their religion held that no human being should be exalted above others. When news of their teaching reached the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was not well received. As the first Quakers set foot in Boston in 1656, they were arrested, their books were burned and they were sent back. The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay decreed imprisonment for any Quaker coming there. When Mary Dyer returned from England in 1657, she was jailed, but her husband was able to secure her release as long as he agreed not to let her settle in any town in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Soon punishment of Quakers became more severe and by 1658, Quakers were immediately sentenced to banishment on pain of death. Mary Dyer and two others defied the law and continued to preach in the colonies. They were banished, but returned and were imprisoned. After a trial, they were sentenced to death and hanged in 1660.

This sculpture of Mary Dyer is one of two casts made by the artist. The original cast was made in Italy and 1959 was dedicated in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse facing Boston Common (IAS record 20550008). The creation of the sculpture originated in 1945 with the will of Zenos H. Ellis of Fairhaven, Vermont, who made a bequest of $12,000 to create the memorial to his ancestor, Mary Dyer, which would be installed on grounds of the Massachusetts Statehouse. The Art Commission of Massachusetts held a competition, but several years went by before Sylvia Judson's design was accepted. The artist, a Quaker herself, arranged for a second cast to go to the Fairmount Park Art Association in 1960. Because no specific site for installation had been selected, the sculpture was stored at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The sculpture remained at the Philadelphia Museum of art until 1975 when it came to the attention of H. Mather Lippincott, architect of the new addition to the Society of Friends complex. In 1975, the sculpture was placed on long term loan to the Friends Center by the Fairmount Park Art Association in cooperation with the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia's Fine Arts Program.

Treated 2000 October. Norton Art Conservation, Inc. (Lafayette Hill, PA). Treatment report on file with owner.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 303.

Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 232.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.

SOS Conservation Treatment Award, 1999.

SOS Conservation Notification Report, 2001.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 303.

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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