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William Tecumseh Sherman (Saint-Gaudens)

Coordinates: 40°45′52″N 73°58′24″W / 40.7645°N 73.9732°W / 40.7645; -73.9732
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William Tecumseh Sherman
Victory
The sculptures in 2016
Map
ArtistAugustus Saint-Gaudens
Year1902 (1902)
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze
SubjectWilliam Tecumseh Sherman
LocationNew York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°45′52″N 73°58′24″W / 40.7645°N 73.9732°W / 40.7645; -73.9732

William Tecumseh Sherman, also known as the Sherman Memorial or Sherman Monument,[1][2] is a sculpture group honoring William Tecumseh Sherman, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, New York. Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue of Sherman and an accompanying statue, Victory, an allegorical female figure of the Greek goddess Nike.[3] The statues are set on a Stony Creek granite pedestal designed by the architect Charles Follen McKim.[4]

History

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The idea for the statue dates back to as early as 1888. The architect Charles Follen McKim and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens decided in 1902 to install an equestrian statue of U.S. Army general William Tecumseh Sherman in Central Park.[4] Several sites had been considered, including Sherman Square on the Upper West Side; the median of Riverside Drive just south of Grant's Tomb; another site on Riverside Drive; and Grand Army Plaza.[5] The Central Park Mall was also considered but ruled out.[6] The statue was dedicated in the northern half of what would later become the Grand Army Plaza on May 30, 1903.[7]

The plaza was re-landscaped in the 1910s after newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911, bequeathing $50,000 for the creation of a memorial fountain.[8] As part of the fountain's construction, the Sherman Monument remained in the northern half, but moved 15 feet (4.6 m) west to be symmetrically opposite the fountain.[9]

On July 23, 1974, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Grand Army Plaza, including the Sherman Monument, as a New York City scenic landmark.[10] On March 26, 1985, the Central Park Conservancy and the architecture firm of Buttrick White & Burtis presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a full restoration of the plaza, including the Sherman Monument.[11] The work was completed in June 1990, including a re-gilding of the statue, and the replacement of a palm frond and a sword that had been removed previously.[12] Grand Army Plaza was renewed again in 2013, including a re-gilding of the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman.[13]

Critiques

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According to the report prepared by the Landmarks Commission for its 1974 designation, many consider the Sherman Monument to be Saint-Gaudens’ finest work. Not everyone agreed; according to Frank Weitenkampf,[14] sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was less than enthusiastic about the equestrian composition: "Saint-Gaudens was a timid rider and it showed in this work.... if the horse should stumble the general would inevitably be thrown over his head."

Use on coinage

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The 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle portraying Liberty is based on his statue of Victory.
The 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle portraying Liberty is based on his statue of Victory.

The obverse of Saint-Gaudens' 1907 United States Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin, portraying Liberty,[15] is based on his sculpture of Victory.

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  • Head detail of the Victory figure
    Head detail of the Victory figure
  • 1863 design showing a proposed fountain (before the plaza was extended south to 58th Street)
    1863 design showing a proposed fountain (before the plaza was extended south to 58th Street)
  • 1868 Map of Central Park includes the future site of the Sherman Monument
    1868 Map of Central Park includes the future site of the Sherman Monument
  • 1869 map of the plaza, showing a site for a clock tower near where the Sherman statue was located in 1903
    1869 map of the plaza, showing a site for a clock tower near where the Sherman statue was located in 1903
  • A view of the Sherman Monument circa 1908–1915, before the creation of the Grand Army Plaza
    A view of the Sherman Monument circa 1908–1915, before the creation of the Grand Army Plaza
  • Thomas Hasting's 1913 plan for the plaza, showing the relocated Sherman statue in the northern (upper) half
    Thomas Hasting's 1913 plan for the plaza, showing the relocated Sherman statue in the northern (upper) half
  • Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who sculpted the monument, photographed in 1905
    Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who sculpted the monument, photographed in 1905
  • Architect Charles Follen McKim designed the pedestal of the monument.
    Architect Charles Follen McKim designed the pedestal of the monument.
  • Detail of the Monument's pedestal
    Detail of the Monument's pedestal
  • Southeast side
    Southeast side
  • View looking southwest to Central Park South
    View looking southwest to Central Park South

References

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  1. ^ "Sherman Memorial (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "William Tecumseh Sherman". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Warner, Marina, Monuments and Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form, University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 1985 pp. 16–17.
  4. ^ a b "Grand Army Plaza Monuments: William Tecumseh Sherman". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. May 30, 1903. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Site for Sherman Statue". New-York Tribune. 1902-03-15. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  6. ^ "Location of Sherman Statue". New-York Tribune. 1902-02-28. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  7. ^ "Unveil Sherman Statue With Appropriate Service.: St. Gaudens' Magnificent Equestrian Work Formally Dedicated to the City of New York--Root Delivers Address". Chicago Daily Tribune. 31 May 1903. p. 33. ISSN 1085-6706. ProQuest 173114890; "Statue of Gen. Sherman Unveiled in Manhattan". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1903-05-30. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-06-22; "Statue of Sherman Unveiled". New-York Tribune. 1903-05-31. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  8. ^ Landmark Preservation Commission (23 July 1974). "LP-0860" (PDF). NYC Landmark Designation Reports. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Comment by Mme. X". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 7, 1915.
  10. ^ Goldberger, Paul (July 24, 1974). "Carnegie Hill Areas at 5th Ave. Designated a Historic District". The New York Times. p. 43. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Purnick, Joyce (March 27, 1985). "For a Historic Plaza, Pears or Limes?". The New York Times. p. B1.
  12. ^ Goldberger, Paul (June 28, 1990). "A Restored Grand Army Plaza, With a New Coat for the General: Bright gold is thought to be the Sherman statue's original finish". The New York Times. p. C13.
  13. ^ Dunlap, David (18 June 2013). "It's General Sherman's Time to Shine, but Not Too Much". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. ^ Manhattan Kaleidoscope, Frank Weitenkampf, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947, page 128.
  15. ^ Taxay, Don (1983). The U.S. Mint and Coinage (reprint of 1966 ed.). New York, N.Y.: Sanford J. Durst Numismatic Publications. pp. 308–309. ISBN 978-0-915262-68-7.
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