''Frederick Keep Monument'' is a public artwork by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

artist James Earle Fraser located in

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The monument was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...

survey in 1993. This sculpture rests at the site of the grave of Frederick and Florence Keep and their child.

Description

The main portion of this sculpture features a bronze female and male couple standing on a low rectangular base. The female raises both of her arms with her proper right and left hands resting on their respective shoulders. The male figure stands closely on her proper left side with his proper right arm behind her. Both of the figures are bare chested and wear loosely draped Roman-style drapery that is rolled at the waist, as well as Roman

sandals Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a Sole (shoe), sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear ...

. The female figure has a cape on over the back of her head and she looks downward. The male figure gazes out to the distance. They stand in front of a narrow granite wall. The lower right side of the sculpture is signed: J. E. FRASER The lower left side of the sculpture is marked: Kunst-Foundry N.Y. The back of the granite base is inscribed: FREDERIC A. KEEP :DIED JUNE 2, 1911 :AGE 53 YEARS :FLORENCE SHEFFIELD BOARDMAN KEEP :DIED JAN 26, 1954 :AGE 89 YEARS :INFANT OF F AND F. KEEP :DIED OCT. 6, 1902 File:JEFraser FredericKeepMonument.jpg, Front File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 Frontb.jpg, Front File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 FemaleDetail.jpg, Detail File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 maledetail.jpg, Detail

Artist

Acquisition

The sculpture was installed just before or on October 3, 1920.

Background

Frederick Keep was a

businessman. His wife, Florence, was the sister of

Mabel Thorp Boardman Mabel Thorp Boardman (October 12, 1860 – March 17, 1946) was an American philanthropist involved with the American Red Cross. She led the Red Cross in the United States following its receiving congressional charter in 1905 until World War I; h ...

, one of the founders of the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

, and American

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

Josephine Porter Boardman Josephine Porter Boardman Crane (''née'' Josephine Porter Boardman) (November 14, 1873 – July 8, 1972) was an American socialite and patron of the arts, co-founder and original trustee of the Museum of Modern Art and supporter of the Dalton Sch ...

. Her father, William J. Boardman, a lawyer and philanthropist who died August 2, 1915, is also buried in Rock Creek Cemetery. Florence socialized with

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...

, Agnes Meyer,

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, wh ...

Ruth Draper Ruth Draper (December 2, 1884December 30, 1956) was an American actress, dramatist and noted Monologist#Diseuse, diseuse who specialized in character-driven monologues and monodrama. Her best-known pieces include ''The Italian Lesson'', ''Three ...

, and

President William Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

and his wife.Graham, Katharine. ''Katharine Graham's Washington''. Random House, 2009.Draper, Ruth. ''The letters of Ruth Draper: self-portrait of an actress, 1920-1956''. SIU Press, 1999, p 38. A number of Keep's personal belongings were donated to the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

by her sister Josephine, including a late 1920s

evening dress Evening dress, evening attire, or evening wear may refer to: * Evening gown or evening dress * Full evening dress or white tie, a formal Western dress code * Black tie, a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events * Evening Attire (horse), a ...

that was exhibited in the Hall of American Costume from 1964-1973.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and was described as needing treatment urgently.

References

Sources

*James M. Goode, ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.'', Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, , p. 343 {{James Earle Fraser Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery 1920 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C. Works by James Earle Fraser (sculptor) Cemetery art