Monument to French Soldiers and Sailors, (sculpture).

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Monument to French Soldiers and Sailors, (sculpture).

Miller, Joseph Maxwell, 1877-1933, sculptor.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

Monument to French Soldiers and Sailors, (sculpture).

1910. Dedicated April 18, 1911.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Stele: pink granite; Base: gray granite.

Sculpture: approx. 4 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 9 in. x 9 in.; Base: approx. 13 ft. x 8 ft. 2 in. x 4 ft. 1 in.

(On lower right of relief:) J. Maxwell Miller '10 (On lower left of relief:) ROMAN BRONZE WORKS NY (On shield:) A TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE TO THE BRAVE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS OF FRANCE BURIED HERE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE STRUGGLE FOR AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. THE MEMORY OF THEIR DEEDS WILL ENDURE FOREVER 1781-1783 (On stone on relief at lower left:) CI GIT UN MARIN DE LA FRANCE (On stone on relief at lower right:) CI GIT UN SOLDAT DE LA FRANCE (Along bottom of relief:) ERECTED APRIL 19, 1911 BY THE SONS OF THE REVOLUTION signed Founder's mark appears.

Full-length allegorical female figure of Memory stands in the foreground of the relief while an army and a ship's mast can be seen in the background. Memory wears a long Classical garment and her hair is swept up. Her proper left hand rests on a shield which contains the inscription. She holds a laurel branch in her proper right hand and there are palm fronds at her feet. The army is marching away, with their rifles on their shoulders. The relief is installed on a marker decorated with foliated scrolls and fleur-de-lis. There is a small seal of the Sons of the Revolution on the base.

History -- United States -- Revolution

Ethnic -- French

Figure female -- Full length

Allegory -- Other -- Memory

Dress -- Historic -- Classical Dress

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Architecture -- Boat -- Ship

Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- Annapolis

Administered by St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland 21404

Located St. John's College, King George Street, Annapolis, Maryland

Erected by the Sons of the Revolution in honor of French troops who served in the American Revolution. The work is sited near the spot where Rochambeau's troops camped when marching through Annapolis toward Yorktown, Sept. 18-21, 1781. Also thought to be located nearby is a burial site for unknown French soldiers and sailors. There is a yearly wreath-laying and rededication ceremony at the site. In Oct. 1990, the sculpture was cleaned with walnut shell air abrasive and waxed by Geoffrey Lemmer at the request of the General Society, Sons of the Revolution. In Oct. 1993, Nicolas Veloz was commissioned to examine, clean and re-wax the work by the Maryland Military Monuments Commission. IAS files include a narrative detailing the origins of the work. For related reading, see "Art in Baltimore: Monuments and Memorials" by William Sener Rusk (Baltimore: the Norman Remington Company, 1924).

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland survey, 1993.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MD0066, 1989.

Monumental News, Nov. 1910, pg. 807.

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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