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  •  
    		• Miller, Ferdinand von, II,
     
  •  
    		• Barnett, George Ingham,
     
  •  
    		• Royal Foundry,
     
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    		• Portrait male -- Von Humboldt, Alexander
     
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    		• Occupation -- Science
     
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    		• Ethnic -- German
     
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    		• Occupation -- Political
     
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    		• Landscape -- South America
     
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    		• Landscape -- Mountain
     
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    		• Portrait male -- Shaw, Henry
     
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    		• Occupation -- Writer
     
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    		• Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis
     
  •  
    		• Sculpture
     
     
    Statue of Alexander Von Humboldt, (sculpture).
    Artist: 
    Miller, Ferdinand von, II, 1842-1929, sculptor.
    Barnett, George Ingham, 1815-1898, architect.
    Royal Foundry, founder.
    Title: 
    Statue of Alexander Von Humboldt, (sculpture).
    Dates: 
    Dedicated November 24, 1878.
    Digital Reference: 
    Image Image Image Image Image Image
    Medium: 
    Sculpture: bronze; Base: red granite.
    Dimensions: 
    Statue: approx. H. 11 ft.; Base: approx. H. 13 ft.; Bronze reliefs on base: H. 21 1/2 x W. 30 in.
    Inscription: 
    (On west side in raised bronze letters on inset plaque:) ALEXANDER/VON/HUMBOLDT (On north side:) FERD.V.MILLER.son.invmod & fudit/MUNCEN1878 (On Shaw plaque:) In honor of the most accomplished/traveller of this or any other age/erected by/HENRY SHAW/1876/F. Miller (illegible transcription) Founder's mark appears.
    Description: 
    Full-length standing portrait of Alexander von Humboldt, leaning against a stump with his coat draped over it. His proper left foot is forward and his hands are clasped in front of his waist. He is wearing knee-high boots and short waistcoat. Bronze reliefs on the base include depictions of the Amazon River Vallery, Mount Chimborazo, and medallion of Henry Shaw, with text.
    Subject: 
    Portrait male -- Von Humboldt, Alexander -- Full length
    Occupation -- Science -- Naturalist
    Ethnic -- German
    Occupation -- Political -- Statesman
    Landscape -- South America -- Amazon River Valley
    Landscape -- Mountain -- Mt. Chimborazo
    Portrait male -- Shaw, Henry -- Bust
    Occupation -- Writer
    Object Type: 
    Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis
    Sculpture
    Owner: 
    Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Missouri
    Remarks: 
    The statue commemorates Alexander Von Humboldt (1769-1859). Born in Berlin, Germany, Humboldt had close ties to America. He knew and corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, Albert Gallatin, John Fremont, James Madison, and others, and was himself a noted scientist. Among his accomplishments, the ascension of the Chimborazo volcano and his encyclopedic "Kosmos." He was reportedly the first European to explore the Amazon River to its source. The monument, an important symbol of pride for the large German community in St. Louis, was erected by Henry Shaw, who established the park in 1868. The cost of the statue, excluding the base, was $5,000. The statue and reliefs were designed and cast by Miller at the Royal Bronze Foundry in Munich. George I. Barnett designed the statue's base.
    The Amazon River plaque on the base was stolen in Dec. 1974; but was subsequently recovered in 1995. The Henry Shaw medallion, originally part of a larger plaque on the east side of the pedestal, was removed sometime in 1952 and was placed in the Memorial Tennis Court Building. The lower portion of the Shaw plaque, thought to be lost was rediscovered in storage in 1996. The entire Shaw plaque was restored, reinstalled and rededicated Oct. 26, 1997. IAS files contain an undated booklet entitled "Tower Grove Park" with text by Nini Harris, which describes the history of the park, a National Historic Landmark; related newsclippings; and a copy of an article from the Missouri Historical Society's magazine "Gateway Heritage" (Fall 1994), pg. 48-58, which discusses the importance of Humboldt to the community; and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nov. 13, 1995.
    References: 
    Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri, St. Louis survey, 1993.
    Missouri Historical Society, "Gateway Heritage," Fall 1994, pg. 48-58.
    National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MO0014, 1989.
    McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, Inc., 1988.
    Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.
    Monumental News, Aug., 1920, pg. 616.
    Illustration: 
    Image on file.
    McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, Inc., 1988, pg. 40.
    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 76000971
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    Smithsonian AmericanArt MuseumControl Number 
    Inventory of American Sculpture76000971Add Copy to MyList

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