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 Civic Fame, Manhattan, New York
N 40° 42.776 W 074° 00.216
18T E 584162 N 4507367
A female figure wearing classical drapery and a laurel headdress, holds a crown in her proper left hand and a shield and laurel branch in her right hand.
Waymark Code: WM8TYJ
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2010
Views: 31
She faces west and stands barefoot on top of the Municipal Building's tower, her drapery blows in the wind behind her. The laurel signifies fame; the crown has five parapets which symbolizes the five boroughs of the city; and dolphins which surround the crown refer to the city as a seaport town.
Sculpture was purchase by the City of New York in 1913 for 9,000 dollars. The statue was made of 500 pieces of hammered copper over a steel frame was cast in five sections. The model for the figure was Julia Baird. For additional information see Bresman, Joseph, "Lady with Fallen Arches," National Sculpture Review (Winter 1974-1975): pg. 24-28 and "Illustrated History of the Manhattan Municipal Building," New York: Department of General Services, 1989. Also see Reynolds, D. M., "The Architecture of New York City," Macmillan, 1984, pg. 33-34; Reynolds, D. M., "Monuments and Masterpieces," Macmillan, 1988, pg. 294; Stern, Robert A. M., et al., "New York 1900," Rizzoli, 1983, pg. 60; Tauranc, J. and C. Little, "Elegant New York 1885-1915," Cross River Press, pg. 36-39. Files in the Art Commission of the City of New York and the National Sculpture Society contain additional information on the 1991 restoration of the sculpture. Gayle and Cohen publication contains a photograph of the model for the sculpture ca. 1914.
TITLE: Civic Fame
ARTIST(S): Weinman, Adolph A., 1870-1952, sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, architectural firm.
DATE: 1913. Installed March 1913.
MEDIUM: Sculpture: sheet copper on a steel frame, gilded.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS76002843
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
New York, New York 10007
Located Municipal Building, Centre & Chamber Streets, Tower Roof, New York, New York
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Differences weren't noticed. The sculpture is way too high for that.
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Visit Instructions:
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