Stephen Girard, (sculpture).

Stephen Girard, (sculpture).

Rhind, John Massey, 1860-1936, sculptor.

Stephen Girard, (sculpture).

1897. Dedicated May 20, 1897. Relocated 1977.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 111 x 40 x 40 in.; Base: approx. 106 1/2 x 60 x 60 in.

J. Massey Rhind 97 (Base, front:) 1750 1831/STEPHEN GIRARD/MARINER AND MERCHANT (Base, right:) PHILADELPHIA'S/GREATEST PHILANTHROPIST/ERECTED BY/THE ALUMNI OF GIRARD COLLEGE/AND/THE PEOPLE/OF THIS/CITY AND COMMONWEALTH/1897 signed

Standing portrait of Girard dressed in a long jacket, buttoned vest, high necked shirt, and a tie around his neck. He stands in a casual position with his proper left hand on his waist and his proper right foot slightly forward. He holds his glasses in his proper right hand. He stands on a tall square base adorned on the front with a carving of a Girard's famous ship, the Water Witch. The sides of the base are adorned with bronze plaques symbolizing Girard's career as a merchant and a mariner and as a philanthropist.

Portrait male -- Girard, Stephen -- Full length

Occupation -- Education

Occupation -- Other -- Businessman

Occupation -- Monetary -- Philanthropist

Occupation -- Monetary -- Banker

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

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

Located Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, West entrance, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130

Formerly located City Hall, Reyburn Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1977.

Stephen Girard (1750-1831) was a banker and businessman in the shipping industry who was known during the early 1800s as one of the richest men in America. During the War of 1812, his bank sold 16 million dollars worth of government bonds and in doing so restored the U.S. credit and enabled the U.S. Treasury to avoid bankruptcy. He came to this country from France in 1776 on a trading whip. When the ship was blockaded by the British at the entrance to the Delaware Bay, he escaped by sailing to Philadelphia. He later became a successful businessman, philanthropist and founder of Girard College. This sculpture of him was presented to the city on the 50th anniversary of the opening of Girard College. The base contains a box which holds a copy of Girard's will, newspapers of the day, and documents concerning Girard College. This sculpture was originally installed in Reyburn Plaza at City Hall, but was moved to the Philadelphia Art Museum when the Municipal Services Building was built.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, PA5058, 1989.

Monumental News, May 1913, pg. 335.

Brenner, Roslyn, "Philadelphia's Outdoor Art: A Walking Tour," Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1991, pg. 64-65.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.

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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