Pioneer Mother - San Francisco, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 46.255 W 122° 28.457
10S E 546300 N 4180528
A sculpture of a pioneer mother and her two children. It's located in Golden Gate Park.
Waymark Code: WM7HYM
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/29/2009
Views: 7
From the inventory: "A female figure dressed in pioneer attire stands with her arms extended around two nude children, a boy and a girl, standing before her. The sculpture rests on a square bronze base that is adorned with a cow skull on each corner and a rectangular relief on the front and back sides. The relief on the front depicts a sailing ship named the "Ella Francis" and the relief on the back depicts a sunset over the Pacific Ocean, in recognition of the pioneers who arrived from across the ocean. The sculpture and decorative bronze base are mounted on a square concrete base.
In 1913 John Trask, head of the Fine Arts Department of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, agreed to a monument commemorating female pioneers. Funds totaling $22,500 were raised through public and private donations, and John Trask selected Charles Grafly as the artist. The sculpture was to be installed in front of the Palace of Fine Arts, prior to the opening of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Grafly's contract required completion of the sculpture by Dec. 31, 1914, but due to delays in casting, the monument was not installed until June of 1915. Following the exposition, the sculpture was to be relocated to the new Civic Center, but this move never took place, and by 1940, the sculpture was found weather-beaten and vandalized beneath the arches of the Palace of Fine Arts.
Although ownership of the sculpture was in question, a strong coalition of civic and historic groups came forward to aid in restoring the sculpture to its former glory. Within three months of its rediscovery, the Pioneer Mother was restored. On May 12, 1940, the monument was rededicated at the Golden Gate International Exposition. And on December 8, 1940, the monument was rededicated at its final installation site, a meadow in Golden Gate Park.
Originally, the sculpture stood on a twenty-six foot base that featured a commemorative plaque with an inscription written by Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, President of the University of California. The plaque read: Over rude paths beset with hunger and risk she pressed onward toward the vision of a better country. To an assemblage of men busied with the perishable rewards of the day she brought the three-fold leaven of enduring society- faith, gentleness, and home with the nurture of children.
TITLE: Pioneer Mother
ARTIST(S): Grafly, Charles, 1862-1929, sculptor. Roman Bronze Works, founder.
DATE: 1914. Dedicated June 30, 1915. Relocated and rededicated May 12, 1940. Relocated and rededicated Dec. 8, 1940.
MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Base: concrete.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 71500385
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Golden Gate Park
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
The plaque at the bottom isn't missing.
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