The James A. Garfield Monument is a monument honoring the 20th president of the United States in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States. Sculptor

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

and architect Stanford White collaborated on the memorial, which was completed in 1896. It is located in

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

, along Kelly Drive, near the Girard Avenue Bridge.Philadelphia Public Art
/ref>

History

President Garfield was shot by an assassin in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on July 2, 1881, and died of his wounds at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

on September 19. Later that year, the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the

Association for Public Art Established in 1872 in Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (formerly Fairmount Park Art Association) is the United States' first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. The Assoc ...

) initiated a fundraising campaign to erect a monument to him in Philadelphia."James A. Garfield Monument"
''Museum Without Walls: AUDIO™'', Interactive map accessed March 1, 2013. This was the second monument to be commissioned by the Association, which selected Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1889 to design and create the work. Cast in 1895, the monument was formally dedicated on May 30, 1896 by Mayor Charles F. Warwick.Unveiling of the memorial to General James A. Garfield, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia ... May 30th, 1896
/ref> The dedication ceremony included a grand river fete with parades and a flotilla along the Schuylkill River. The monument is one of many sculptures included in the Association for Public Art'
Museum Without Walls: AUDIO
interpretive audio program for Philadelphia's outdoor sculpture.Garfield Monument
(audio), Association for Public Art, Philadelphia, accessed March 1, 2013.

1896 description

The Garfield Memorial.
Between the pilasters of granite is the figure of a woman in bronze, of heroic size—typical of America—young, strong, dignified, holding in her hand the sword and palm, symbolic of Garfield's life, and bearing his name on the shield which she holds in front of her. Surmounting four square granite pilasters is the BUST of Garfield, of heroic size.
Pedestal.
The main pedestal is four feet wide, three feet deep, and seventeen feet high, resting upon a base projecting to carry the emblematic figure.
The main pedestal is flanked by four square Ionic pilasters. The material is pink Milford granite, and the style of the pedestal is pure Greek.

Inscription

The inscriptions read:
::A. ST GAUDENS '95
::Cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co.,
::NY 1895
(Front of shield held by figure of the Republic:)
::E PLVRIBVS
::VNVM
::JAMES ABRAM
::GARFIELD
::PRESIDENT OF THE
::VNITED STATES
::MDCCC
::LXXXI
(Base, above the Republic's head:)
::MDCCCXXXI
::MDCCCLXXXI
(Base, below bust:)
::MDCCCXCB The

Fairmount Park Art Association Established in 1872 in Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (formerly Fairmount Park Art Association) is the United States' first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. The Assoc ...

plaque appears on the lower front of the sculpture's base.

References

External links

"James A. Garfield Monument"
''Museum Without Walls: AUDIO™'', Interactive map accessed March 1, 2013. {{James A. Garfield Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia 1895 sculptures Cultural depictions of James A. Garfield Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania East Fairmount Park Statues in Philadelphia 1895 establishments in Pennsylvania Sculptures of men in Pennsylvania Sculptures of women in Pennsylvania Garfield, James Allegorical sculptures in Pennsylvania Garfield Garfield

History

1896 description

Inscription

See also

References

External links