George Washington - Lafayette Square Park - St. Louis, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 36.888 W 090° 12.965
15S E 742387 N 4277708
Statue has been fixed up since the Smithsonian last inspected
Waymark Code: WMMAAC
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 08/21/2014
Views: 4
County of statue: St. Louis Independent City
Location of statue: Lafayette Ave. entrance, just inside, Lafayette Square Park, St. Louis
Artist: Jean Antoine Houdon, 1741-1828, sculptor
Founder: W. J. Hubard Foundry
Monument text:
stone placed at the base:
Rededication
GEORGE WASHINGTON STATUE
Lafayette Park
as a
DAR HISTORIC LANDMARK
Placed by
Cornelia Greene Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
February 18, 1980
Proper Description: "Figure of George Washington standing with his proper left foot forward. His proper left arm is bent at the elbow and his proper left hand rests on top of a cape, sword, and a cylindrical object. His proper right arm is held out from his side slightly, and appears to have been holding an object that is now missing, possibly the handle of a cane. He is dressed in military uniform." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
George does have a cane in his hand and he is leaning on a fasces, symbolizing unity and strength
Remarks: "This sculpture is a bronze cast of the life-size marble portrait of George Washington made by Jean Antoine Houdon for the Virginia capitol in Richmond. Houdon and three assistants visited George Washington in 1785 and took measurements and made a face mask; Washington was fifty-three years of age. This bronze cast was made more than fifty years later, using a mold taken from the original marble. In May 1896, a destructive tornado struck St. Louis, moved the figure of Washington three-quarters of an inch on its base, but left the rest of the sculpture unharmed." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum