The plaque on the statue reads:
Erected in commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776 - July 4, 1976 by the City of Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Art Association
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Artist: Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973, sculptor. Unknown (Italy), founder.
Title: Government of the People, (sculpture).
Dates: ca. 1975. Dedicated 1976.
Medium: Sculpture: bronze; Base: concrete and stone.
Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. H. 360 in.; Base: approx. H. 144 in.
Description: A mass of figures melded together in a tall spiral. At the base there is a family group of a mother, father and child to symbolize where life begins. Above them is a young couple to symbolize hope for the future. At the top are two figures, a man and a woman, holding a banner of Philadelphia. The sculpture illustrates how democracy is a struggle which triumphs through mutual support and dedication.
Subject: Figure group -- Family
Allegory -- Life -- Creation
Allegory -- Quality -- Hope
Allegory -- Civic -- Unity
Allegory -- Civic -- Democracy
Object Type: Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Owner: Administered by City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Property, Municipal Services Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
Located Municipal Services Building, Broad & John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
Condition: Surveyed 1993 December. Undetermined condition.
References: Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985
Institute of Contemporary Art, 1976.
Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 140-141.
Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 235.
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.
Illustration: Image on file.
Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 235.
Repository: Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Control Number: IAS 77001300