Francis Scott Key Monument Explained

Francis Scott Key Monument
Location:	Eutaw Place, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Complete:	1911
Dedicated:	1911
Dedicated To:	Francis Scott Key
Material:	Marble, gold leaf
Designer:	Antonin Mercié

The Francis Scott Key Monument is an outdoor sculpture of Francis Scott Key in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

History

Charles Marburg gave $25,000 to his brother Theodore Marburg to hire a sculptor to create a monument to Francis Scott Key. The French sculptor Antonin Mercié was selected. Mercié had previously created a bronze equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee in 1890 in Richmond, Virginia.^[1] The sculpture was dedicated on Eutaw Place in 1911.^[2]

The sculpture was restored and rededicated on September 11, 1999.^[1]

The statue was defaced with the words "Racist Anthem" and covered in red paint in September 2017. The city quickly restored the monument, which now sits behind chain-link fencing.^[3]

See also

• List of public art in Baltimore
• Orpheus with the Awkward Foot
• The works of Antonin Mercié

References

39.3039°N -76.6261°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Restored Key Monument Rededicated . 2011-04-26 . Charles Marburg gave $25,000 to his brother Theodore to commission a monument to his favorite poet, Francis Scott Key. The French sculptor Marius Jean Antonin Mercie was the selected artist. At the time, Mercié was known for European sculptures and the Robert E. Lee (1890) equestrian bronze in Richmond, Virginia, and collaboration with General Lafayette (1891) in the District of Columbia.. .
2. Web site: Francis Scott Key Monument.
3. Web site: Campbell . Colin . Welsh . Sean . 2017-09-13 . Baltimore to keep, clean defaced Francis Scott Key statue . 2024-03-27 . Baltimore Sun . en-US.