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More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     Houdon, Jean Antoine,     W. J. Hubard Foundry,     Portrait male -- Washington, George     Occupation -- Political     Occupation -- Military     Dress -- Uniform     Object -- Weapon     Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis     Sculpture

George Washington, (sculpture). Artist:  Houdon, Jean Antoine, 1741-1828, sculptor. W. J. Hubard Foundry, founder. Title:  George Washington, (sculpture). Dates:  1788. Cast 1856. Dedicated 1869. Rededicated Feb. 18, 1980. Digital Reference:  Medium:  Figure: bronze; Base: painted stone. Dimensions:  Figure: approx. 74 x 33 x 26 1/2 in.; Base: 68 x 72 x 72 in. Inscription:  (On sculpture, lower right:) fait par houdon Citoyer francais 1788 unsigned Description:  Figure of George Washington standing with his proper left foot forward. His proper left arm is bent at the elbow and his proper left hand rests on top of a cape, sword, and a cylindrical object. His proper right arm is held out from his side slightly, and appears to have been holding an object that is now missing, possibly the handle of a cane. He is dressed in military uniform. Subject:  Portrait male -- Washington, George -- Full length Occupation -- Political -- President Occupation -- Military -- General Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform Object -- Weapon -- Sword Object Type:  Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis Sculpture Owner:  Administered by City of St. Louis, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, 5600 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110 Located Lafayette Park, Near Intersection of Lafayette Street & North Waverly Place, St. Louis, Missouri Remarks:  This sculpture is a bronze cast of the life-size marble portrait of George Washington made by Jean Antoine Houdon for the Virginia capitol in Richmond. Houdon and three assistants visited George Washington in 1785 and took measurements and made a face mask; Washington was fifty-three years of age. This bronze cast was made more than fifty years later, using a mold taken from the original marble. In May 1896, a destructive tornado struck St. Louis, moved the figure of Washington three-quarters of an inch on its base, but left the rest of the sculpture unharmed. IAS files contain transcriptions on nearby plaques. One plaque marks the rededication of the sculpture as a Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Landmark on February 18, 1980. The second plaque marks the restoration of the sculpture by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America to celebrate the 1976 bicentennial. IAS files also contain copies of unpublished archival material from the St. Louis Department of Parks, which discusses the 1896 tornado that slightly shifted the figure on its base. References:  Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri, St. Louis survey, 1992. McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1988, pg. 33. Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985. Illustration:  Image on file. McCue, George, "Sculpture City: St. Louis," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1988, pg. 28. 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 87810007   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Sculpture 87810007 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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