In 1959, someone went around this area with a camera and documented all of the existing statues and other works of art. They stood directly in front of this statue and the other ones and snapped away. 
I stumbled upon a huge cache of thousands of pictures of Philadelphia, beginning with the invention of the camera and the first pictures taken in the next decade when cameras became more commonplace. This then photo was found HERE. The 1959 photo was taken on March 31, 1959. I snapped my photo on Sunday, February 5, 2012 @ approximately 1:48 PM facing northeast. I used a new camera, Canon PowerShot SX210IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 14x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD. A total duration of 52 years, 10 months, 6 days including the end date. I went to this SITE to calculate the age difference of the pictures.
Up until a few years ago, the entire area to the rear and in front of the statue was unchanged. Recently, the background was completely razed, a stone retaining wall installed and a sculpture garden was added. The plaza in the foreground remains the same however (not seen in photo).
The statue was placed in 1947 and sculpted by Sidney Waugh (1904 - 1963). A parade of Revolutionary War veterans statues line the sides of a huge courtyard found to the rear of the west side of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are three to the right and the same amount to the left. If your back is to the Museum, this Pulaski statue is the first one on the right. Simply walk down the the level of stairs and it will be immediately to your right.
All the statues are made of bronze and look similar, both in composition, form, size and subject matter. This statue is approximately 9 feet or maybe a few inches more in height. It is definitely larger than life. The base is approximately 7 feet or so off the ground, of polished granite with an incised inscription on front which reads:
1748-1779
Native of Poland
General of the Continental Army
Despairing of liberty in his native land
He volunteered his services to the American Patriots.
Gave his life at the siege of Savannah.
SIRIS describes the statue as a standing portrait of General Pulaski dressed in his Revolutionary War uniform consisting of a waist-length jacket with fringed epaulets and large buttoned lapels, slim pants, tall boots, and a belt at his waist. He stands with his head turned to his proper right. His feet are spread apart and his proper left hand is on his left hip. In his proper right hand he brandishes a large sword. At his feet is a tree branch. The sculpture rests on a square base.
General Pulaski was a Polish nobleman who served under Washington during the American Revolution. After his successful battle at the Brandywine, he formed his own cavalry group named Pulaski's Legion. Pulaski's Legion was sent to the South to fight and it was during the siege of Savannah that Pulaski lost his life.
This piece was erected through the bequest of General William F. Reilly. The Reilly Trust was initially administered by First People's Bank, but as of the 1993 SOS! survey, Core States Bank was handling the Reilly Trust. This sculpture is one of several which comprises the William M. Reilly Memorial on the west side of the museum. The memorial honors Revolutionary War heroes. The SOS! survey cover sheet notes that current conservation of the piece is the responsibility of the Reilly Trust. C. Louis Borie was the architect of the base.
This area is one of the premier tourist attractions for Philadelphia and referenced several times in their official tourist site. Here is what they have to say:
In 1890 General William M. Reilly of the Pennsylvania National Guard bequeathed funds for a memorial to Revolutionary War heroes. Though it took decades to raise additional money, six sculptures were eventually installed northwest of the Art Museum.
Immortalized in bronze, the Marquis de Lafayette gestures flamboyantly as his cape billows around him. Another European volunteer, Major General Friedrich von Steuben, points steadfastly ahead. General Richard Montgomery, who died in the assault on Quebec, stands pensively with hat in hand. Maritime hero John Paul Jones is shown with his telescope, while General Casimir Pulaski poses fiercely with sword at the ready. Unusual for this group, the sculpture of General Nathanael Greene emphasizes nonmilitary aspects of the man’s character.
Marquis de Lafayette (c. 1947) by Raoul Josset Major
General Friedrich von Steuben (c. 1947) by Warren Wheelock
General Richard Montgomery (c. 1946) by J. Wallace Kelly
John Paul Jones (c. 1957) by Walker Hancock
General Casimir Pulaski (c. 1947) by Sidney Waugh
General Nathanael Greene (c. 1960) by Lewis Iselin Jr.
SOURCE