Mark Twain - Hartford, CT - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens who was born in Florida, MO on November 30, 1835. Early in life his family moved to Hannibal, MO on the Mississippi River. His experiences with the people of the river inspired his most famous characters and novels - Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. When he was 38 years old he moved to Connecticut and built a home in Hartford, CT. While a Hartford resident he wrote many of his most famous novels, including: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), Life on the Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889).

The statue of Mark Twain outside the main library in Hartford was originally commissioned by a Mississippi riverboat company. When they defaulted on payment, it was acquired by the Hollander family and donated to the City of Hartford.

A 6.2 by 39.5" by 31" bronze statue of Mark Twain stands on a triangular 24" by 49.5" by 39.5" pink granite base. The statue was sculpted by Jim Brothers and cast at the Heartland Art Bronze foundry. It was commissioned in 1992 and dedicated on November 30, 1994.

The moustached figure of Mark Twain is standing on a triangular base while wearing trousers, bunched at the ankles, a vest, a suit coat, and a bow tie. He is holding a pipe in front of his chest with his right hand. His left arm is resting on spoke of a quarter section of a riverboat pilot's wheel.

The west face of the base is inscribed:

MARK TWAIN
SAMUEL L. CLEMENS
1835-1910

The north face of the base is inscribed:

One of the nation's most celebrated authors,
Mark Twain lived in Hartford during the peak
of his writing career, from 1871 until 1891

Of Hartford Twain wrote: "Of all the beautiful
towns it has been my fortune to see this is
the chief. You do not know what beauty is
if you have not been here."

The east face of the base is inscribed:

A gift from the Hollander family
Dedicated 30 November 1994

TITLE: Mark Twain - Hartford, CT ARTIST(S): Jim Brothers, sculptor; Heartland Art Bronze, founder DATE: Dedicated November 30, 1994 MEDIUM: bronze statue, pink granite base CONTROL NUMBER: IAS CT000389 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Hartford Public Library 500 Main Street Hartford, CT 06103 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: He is holding a pipe, in front of his chest, with his right hand.

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