Equestrian statue of George Washington (Morristown, New Jersey) explained

George Washington
Italic Title:no
Artist:Frederick Roth
Year:, dedicated
Medium:Bronze sculpture
Subject:George Washington
Height Imperial:12
Width Imperial:4.6
Length Imperial:10
Metric Unit:m
Imperial Unit:ft
City:Morristown, New Jersey, United States
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Morris County#New Jersey#USA
Pushpin Label Position:bottom

George Washington is an outdoor equestrian statue by the American sculptor Frederick Roth located near the Ford Mansion, Washington's Headquarters, in Morristown, New Jersey, United States. It was commissioned by philanthropist E. Mabel Clark to commemorate General George Washington's importance to the history of the city. The bronze sculpture was dedicated on October 19, 1928, the anniversary of the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.[1] [2]

History

Morristown was the site of two winter encampments by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The first one was from January to May 1777, with Washington's headquarters at Arnold's Tavern. The second one was from December 1779 to June 1780, with Washington's headquarters at the Ford Mansion.[3]

E. Mabel Clark was the daughter of Charles F. Clark, President of the Bradstreet Company, now Dun & Bradstreet. The family lived in New York City and had a country house, Fairacres, in the Normandy Park section of Morristown.[4] [5] She commissioned Frederick Roth for an equestrian statue of Washington and specified that the horse be modeled after the workhorse she had seen pulling a milk wagon in New York.[6] Roth was known as an animal sculptor, especially for his 1925 Statue of Balto in New York's Central Park.[1] He finished and had the statue cast in Florence, Italy, at the bronze works foundry of Gusmano Vignali .[2] The installation site, a small triangular plot bounded by Morris and Washington Avenues, was donated to the city by Dr. Henry M. Dodge.[7] Clark donated the statue to the city at the dedication on October 19, 1928. Speakers included Mayor Clyde W. Potts and Justice Charles W. Parker of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The sculptor attended the ceremony and was honored at a reception hosted by Clark.[8] [9]

Description

The sculpture depicts Washington in winter, wearing a uniform with a mantle and tricorner hat. The sculptor signed it: F.G.R. Roth. The statue measures approximately high x 4feet wide x long and is on a granite base that measures approximately high x 5feet wide x long. The front of the base is inscribed: Washington, the back is inscribed:[2]

Legacy

A photograph of the statue, with Washington's Headquarters in the background, was featured in the booklet for the dedication of the Morristown National Historical Park on July 4, 1933. Clark was a member of the reception committee.[10] The statue was surveyed by the Save Outdoor Sculpture program of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1994.[2] [11]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: George Washington Equestrian Statue – Morristown . . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200244/https://www.nps.gov/places/gw-statue-morr.htm . live .
  2. Web site: Washington, (sculpture). Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum. January 21, 2023. January 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200245/https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&menu=search&index=.NW&term=IAS%20NJ000352. live.
  3. Web site: Seidel . Maria . Morristown, NJ . . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200304/https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/morristown-nj/ . live .
  4. News: Charles F. Clark Dead.; President of the Bradstreet Company Expires in London. . . September 4, 1904 . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200245/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/09/04/archives/charles-f-clark-dead-president-of-the-bradstreet-company-expires-in.html . live .
  5. Web site: Ross Museum Background and History. Ella Mabel Clark was a patron of the arts in New York city and Morristown, New Jersey. January 21, 2023. January 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200248/http://www.rossmemorialmuseum.ca/RMM%20history%20brochure%20pdf.pdf. live.
  6. News: Barbato . Joan . George and the work horse . . June 19, 1983 . Morristown, New Jersey . . Two or three years ago in New York, while taking her daily walk with her dogs, she met a wonderful horse drawing a Sheffield Farm milk wagon, and it occurred to her that a horse of this powerful build was the ideal type for Washington’s mount. . January 23, 2023 . January 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230123111738/https://www.newspapers.com/image/255269656/ . live .
  7. Web site: Stevens . Christopher M. . Cultural Landscape Report for Washington's Headquarters. Morristown National Historical Park . . 55 . 2005 . January 23, 2023 . April 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160413211932/http://npshistory.com/publications/morr/washhq_clr.pdf . live .
  8. News: Bronze Statue of Washington Unveiled in Morristown, N. J. . . October 20, 1928 . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200244/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/10/20/archives/bronze-statue-of-washington-unveiled-in-morristown-nj.html . live .
  9. Web site: Statue of George Washington, Ford Mansion, 1928, Morristown, NJ . Morristown & Morris Township Library . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200245/https://cdm16100.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p13079coll1/id/127/rec/1 . live .
  10. Book: The Morristown National Historical Park. Dedicated July 4th, 1933 at Morristown, New Jersey . Butler . Philip Livingston . 1933 . 1 . 10.7282/T3N878RK . January 23, 2023 . January 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230123115216/https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/37046/ . live .
  11. Web site: Washington sculpture / (photographer unknown) . Smithsonian American Art Museum . January 21, 2023 . January 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200928/https://www.si.edu/object/washington-sculpture-photographer-unknown:siris_jul_128798 . live .

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