The Pioneers - Baton Rouge, LA
Posted by: ggmorton
N 30° 27.410 W 091° 11.255
15R E 674010 N 3370804
An elaborate set of statues on the left side / west buttress of the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, LA.
Waymark Code: WM13BRF
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2020
Views: 0
"A group of figures, each representing one of Louisiana's contributing cultures, surrounding the figure of a large woman, representing the spirit of Adventure. She stands atop a treasure chest with an array of Louisiana's native fruits and vegetables at her feet. Some of the figures surrounding her are the explorers Desoto and LaSalle, as well as Jesuit and Fransiscan clergy, a Spanish conquistador, French settlers, and a man in a coonskin cap."
Reference: (
visit link)
"The Pioneers statue pays tribute to the Native Americans who originally inhabited the region: the French and Spanish colonists who explored the area in the 17th and 18th centuries and the Americans who made their homes here in the state’s earliest days."
Reference: (
visit link)
The state capitol wall nearby reads: "We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives. It will transform vast solitudes into thriving districts. The United States take rank this day among the first powers of the Earth." It is a quote by Robert R. Livingston. Livingston was one of the Committee of Five which drafted the Declaration of Independence. While serving as the US Minister to France, he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. Livingston made this quoted statement when the Louisiana Purchase was signed.
Reference: pictured quote, (
visit link)
According to Wikipedia, this statue (The Pioneers) and it's counterpart (The Patriots) on the other side of the state capital steps were the last major commission before his death in 1936.
A neat model of this statue can be found here: (
visit link)
"Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, The History of American Sculpture, was the first survey of the subject and stood for decades as the standard reference. He has been credited with helping to advance the status of women as sculptors."
Reference: (
visit link)