(Copper John), (sculpture).

(Copper John), (sculpture).

Cray, John D., sculptor. (copy after)

(Copper John), (sculpture).

1848. Reinstalled Nov. 9, 1938.

Hammered copper, painted.

Approx. H. 11 ft. (600 lbs.).

A soldier stands wearing a Colonial style uniform, including a tricorn hat with a plume on top, and boots. He stands at attention holding the butt of his rifle with his proper left hand, with the barrel and long bayonet extending above his head. The sculpture is mounted atop prison building.

History -- United States -- Revolution

Portrait male -- Cole, John -- Full length

Portrait male -- Hardenbergh, John -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Other -- Colonizer

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Auburn

Architectural component

Administered by New York State, Department of Corrections, Albany, New York

Located Auburn Correctional Facility, 149 State Street, Main gate, on top of administration building tower, Auburn, New York

The sculpture is a replica of an earlier wood soldier sculpted by John Cray around 1821 for the "old" administration building at the new prison. The soldier may be modeled after Private John Cole (d. 1826), a member of Washington's Life Guard whose home was in Cayuga County; or it may be John Hardenbergh, the founder of Auburn and a soldier in the American Revolution. By 1848, the original wood sculpture had deteriorated so badly that it was removed and this copper replica was created by convicts in the prison's foundry. Because of its construction of copper, the new soldier became known as "Copper John." When the old administration building was razed in 1938, the sculpture was restored and repainted. It was reinstalled on the new administration building on Nov. 9, 1938.

IAS files contain an information sheet about the history of the Auburn State Prison and the sculpture from the Cayuga Museum of History and Art; and excerpt from H. Charles McBarron, Jr. and Frederick P. Todd's "Military Uniforms in America, The Era of the American Revolution, 1755-1795," Company of Military Historians, pg. 70. IAS files also contain articles from the Auburn Advertiser-Journal, June 9, 1922; and from Citizen Advertiser (Auburn, NY), April 15, 1938 and Nov. 10, 1938. IAS files also contain article from Post Standard (Syracuse,NY), Aug. 28, 2004, which states that sculpture was undergoing repair work and modifications were made to the figure's crotch area.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York 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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