A statue of
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
by
Richard Saltonstall Greenough
Richard Saltonstall Greenough (April 19, 1819 – 1904) was an American sculptor and younger brother to Neoclassical sculptor Horatio Greenough.
Greenough was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Elizabeth (Bender) and David Gre ...
is installed outside
Old City Hall in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States. It rests on a base with plaques designed by Greenough and
Thomas Ball.
Description
The statue of Franklin measures approximately 8 ft., 4 in. x 2 ft., 2 in. x 2 ft., 2 in., and rests on a marble and granite base that measures approximately 9 ft., 3 in. x 7 ft., 6 in. x 7 ft., 6 in. The base features four plaques: the front and back plaques (''Franklin Experimenting with Electricity'' and ''Franklin in His Printing Shop'') were designed by Greenough, and the other two (''Franklin at Paris Peace Treaty'' and ''Franklin at the Declaration of Independence'') were designed by
Thomas Ball.
[
]
History
The bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
was modeled in 1855, and dedicated on September 17, 1856. It cost $20,000 and was erected as Boston's first portrait statue to commemorate the sesquicentennial of Franklin's birth. The statue was originally installed in front of Bullfinch's Court House, before being relocated to City Hall.[
The work was surveyed as part of the ]Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's " Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.[
]
See also
* 1856 in art
References
External links
*
1855 sculptures
1856 establishments in Massachusetts
Bronze sculptures in Massachusetts
Granite sculptures in Massachusetts
Monuments and memorials in Boston
Outdoor sculptures in Boston
Sculptures by Thomas Ball
Sculptures of men in Massachusetts
Statues in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
United States Declaration of Independence in art
{{Massachusetts-sculpture-stub