Statue of Freedom
Statue of Freedom | |
---|---|
Artist | Thomas Crawford |
Dimensions | 5.9 m (19.5 ft) |
Weight | 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
38°53′23.4″N 77°00′32.6″W / 38.889833°N 77.009056°W |
The Statue of Freedom, also known as Armed Freedom or simply Freedom, is a bronze statue designed by Thomas Crawford that, since 1863, has crowned the United States Capitol dome. Originally named Freedom Triumphant in War and Peace, a U.S. government publication now states that the statue "is officially known as the Statue of Freedom."[1] The statue depicts a female figure bearing a military helmet and holding a sheathed sword in her right hand and a laurel wreath and shield in her left.[2]
Description
The Statue of Freedom is a colossal
History
Design
A monumental statue for the top of the national Capitol appeared in architect
Crawford was commissioned to design Freedom in 1854 and executed the plaster model for the statue in his studio in
Execution
Crawford died in 1857 before the full-size plaster model left his studio. The model, packed into six crates, was shipped from Italy in a small sailing vessel in the spring of 1858. During the voyage, the ship began to leak and stopped in Gibraltar for repairs. After leaving Gibraltar, the ship began leaking again to the point that it could go no farther than Bermuda, where the model was stored until other transportation could be arranged. Half of the crates finally arrived in New York City in December, but all sections were not in Washington, D.C., until late March 1859.
Beginning in 1860, the statue was cast in five main sections by Clark Mills, whose bronze foundry was located on the outskirts of Washington. Work was halted in 1861 because of the Civil War, but by the end of 1862, the statue was finished and temporarily displayed on the Capitol grounds. The cost of the statue, exclusive of installation, was $23,796.82.
While Freedom was being cast at Mills' foundry, the foreman in charge of the casting went on strike. Instead of paying him the higher wages he demanded, Mills turned the project over to
Restoration
On May 9, 1993, after being in place almost 130 years, the statue was brought down from its pedestal by helicopter for restoration, giving tourists a rare chance to see the statue up close. The work was needed because of extensive pitting and corrosion on the surface of the bronze and because of a crack and rusting on the cast-iron pedestal. The United States Capitol Preservation Commission provided the $780,000 in privately raised funds. The work was performed by New Arts Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland.
The cast-iron pedestal was restored in place atop the dome. The metal was stripped of paint, and the wreaths and fasces were removed to ensure that they were thoroughly cleaned and coated. The crack was permanently repaired, and the entire pedestal was primed and painted with a color specially mixed to match the statue.
Restoration of the statue and the pedestal was completed in approximately four months. The Statue of Freedom was returned to its pedestal by helicopter on October 23, 1993, amid the celebration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Capitol. Since then, every 2–3 years, the statue undergoes two weeks of cleaning and recoating as necessary.
The plaster model of the statue, in storage for 25 years, was reassembled and restored in the basement rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building, where it was returned to permanent public display in January 1993. The plaster model was relocated to the Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center, which provides more visitors access to look at the statue's details.[15]
Use of Freedom's image
The well-known Statue of Freedom has appeared on several official designs, akin to the Statue of Liberty. The head of the statue is depicted on a postage stamp (1923, USA Scott No. 573), which was re-issued in 2006. The entire statue is depicted on a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of Washington, D.C. (1950, USA Scott No. 989).
Two 1989 United States Congress Bicentennial commemorative coins feature the Statue, the half-dollar and the silver dollar.
It can also be found on the obverse of the Medal of Freedom (1945) and the reverse of the Iraq Campaign Medal, awarded to members of the U.S. military deployed to Iraq during the Iraq War. The Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism also depicts the statue on the obverse of the medal.
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Series 1862 $5-note
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U.S. $5 postage, 1923
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Medal of Freedom, 1945
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Iraq Campaign Medal, 2004
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Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism, 2007
See also
- List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6
- Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World), 1886 statue by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi in New York City
- Goddess of Liberty, a similar 1888 statue by Elijah E. Myers atop the Texas State Capitol dome, in Austin, Texas
- Miss Freedom, a similar 1889 statue on the dome of the Georgia State Capitol (US)
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Architect of the Capitol
- ^ United States. Architect of the Capitol. cn (1965). Compilation of works of art and other objects in the United States Capitol. Internet Archive. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- ^ "The Statue of Freedom". Architect of the Capitol.
- ^ "Statue of Freedom". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ "Capitol Hill Facts | Architect of the Capitol | U.S. Capitol Building". Aoc.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Architect of the Capitol Frequently Asked Questions". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ^ "The Statue of Freedom".
- ^ Literata (2011). "Columbia". The Order of the White Moon Goddess Gallery. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "Picturing US History - Thomas Crawford, Statue of Freedom, 1855-63".
- ^ "The Statue of Freedom | Architect of the Capitol".
- ^ Fischer, David Hackett (2005), Liberty and Freedom, Oxford University Press, p. 299.
- ^ Meigs to Crawford, cited in Fryd, Vivien Green (1992), Art and Empire: The Politics of Ethnicity in the United States Capitol, 1815–1860, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
- ^ "PBS NewsHour on Jan 16, 2009". January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Philip Reid and the Statue of Freedom". Architect of the Capitol.
- ^ Gale, Robert L. Thomas Crawford: American Sculptor. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 1964, p. 190.
- ^ "AOC To Begin Move of Statue of Freedom Model into Capitol Visitor Center" (Press release). Architect of the Capitol. June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
External links
- Aoc.gov: The Statue of Freedom webpage—by the Architect of the Capitol.