This sculpture is in front of the main entrance to the Americaan Museum of Natural History in New York City...just across the street from Central Park. The bronze figures are somewhat larger than lifesize and are set on a tall granite plinth.
The Smithsonian Inventory (
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"Roosevelt is depicted on horseback as both hunter and explorer. He is flanked by the figures of two guides, one Native American and one African, meant to symoblize the continents of America and Africa. The Native American figure is striding forward wearing a feather headdress, moccasins and a long sarong around his waist. The African figure is striding forward with a cloth draped over his proper right shoulder and a gun in his proper right hand. Roosevelt grasps the reins of his horse in his proper left hand and reaches back with his proper right hand as if to grab the gun which he wears in a holster around his waist."
and provides the inscriptions:
"On rear of sculpture:) J E FRASER SC 1939 (On front of base:) THEODORE ROOSEVELT/1858-1919 (On left side of base:) GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK/1899 1901 (On right side of base:) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES/1901 1909 signed"
A better photo of the sculpture can be seen at the Wikipedia article for the statue (
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Wikipedia (
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"Theodore "T.R." Roosevelt, Jr... (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was the 26th President of the United States (1901–1909). He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the first incarnation of the short-lived Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party of 1912. Before becoming President, he held offices at the city, state, and federal levels. Roosevelt's achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. Roosevelt was 42 years old when sworn in as President of the United States in 1901, making him the youngest president ever; he beat out the youngest elected president, John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, by only one year. Roosevelt was also the first of only three sitting presidents to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Teddy bear is named for him, despite his contempt for being called "Teddy".
Born into a wealthy family in New York City, Roosevelt was a sickly child who suffered from asthma and stayed at home studying natural history. To overcome his physical weakness, he embraced a strenuous life. Home-schooled, he became an eager student of nature. He attended Harvard University, where he studied biology, boxed and developed an interest in naval affairs. In 1881, one year out of Harvard, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he became a leader of the reform faction of his Republican Party (the "GOP"). His The Naval War of 1812 (1882) established his professional reputation as a serious historian; he wrote numerous books on hunting, the outdoors, and current political issues, as well as frontier history. In 1884, his first wife and his mother died on the same day. He temporarily left politics and went to the frontier, becoming a rancher in the "Badlands" in the Dakotas. Returning to New York City, he ran for mayor in 1886, finishing third with 60,000 votes. He later gained fame by taking vigorous charge of the city police. At the national level, he was a leader in civil service reform. The Spanish–American War broke out in 1898 while Roosevelt was, effectively, running the Department of the Navy. He promptly resigned and formed the Rough Riders – a volunteer cavalry regiment that fought in Cuba. The war hero was elected governor in 1898 and in 1900 was nominated for vice president. He successfully energized the GOP base as a highly visible campaigner to reelect President William McKinley, Jr. on a platform of high tariffs, the gold standard, imperialism, prosperity at home and victory abroad.
In 1901, President McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt became President."