Statue of Alexander von Humboldt (Philadelphia)
Alexander von Humboldt statue (2012) | |
Location | Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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Designer | Friedrich Drake |
Material | Bronze Granite (pedestal) |
Beginning date | September 13, 1869 |
Completion date | 1871 |
Dedicated date | 1876 |
Dedicated to | Alexander von Humboldt |
The Alexander von Humboldt statue is a monumental statue of Alexander von Humboldt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in Fairmount Park, the statue was completed in 1871 and donated to the city in 1876.
History[]
Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian polymath active during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[1] In May 1804, during one of his scientific journeys through the Americas, he visited Philadelphia.[2] On September 13, 1869, on the centennial anniversary of Humboldt's birth, the cornerstone for a monument honoring him was laid in Fairmount Park, on a knoll overlooking the Girard Avenue Bridge, by the city's German society.[3] The statue on Humboldt was designed by Friedrich Drake, a German sculptor based in Berlin.[4] It was dedicated in 1871.[5] Several years later, in 1876, on the centennial of American independence, the statue was gifted to the city of Philadelphia and dedicated again.[6] According to the Association for Public Art, the statue was moved to another part of the park in 1977.
Design[]
The monument consists of a bronze sculpture of Humboldt placed on a granite socle. Humboldt is wearing a long coat, with his left hand on a globe. In his right hand is a scroll with "COSMOS" written on it.[6]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Tatlock & Erlin 2005, pp. 108–109.
- ^ Pohlsander 2010, p. 76.
- ^ Scharf & Westcott 1884, p. 1859.
- ^ Federal Writers' Project 1937.
- ^ Scharf & Westcott 1884, p. 1868.
- ^ a b Pohlsander 2010, p. 77.
Bibliography[]
- Philadelphia, a Guide to the Nation's Birthplace. Compiled by the Federal Writers' Project, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (1st ed.). The Telegraph Press. 1937. p. 549. ISBN 978-1-62376-058-8 – via Google Books.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Pohlsander, Hans A. (2010). German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-0343-0138-1 – via Google Books.
- Scharf, J. Thomas; Westcott, Thompson (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. III. L. H. Everts & Company – via Google Books.
- Tatlock, Lynne; Erlin, Matt, eds. (2005). German Culture in Nineteenth-century America: Reception, Adaptation, Transformation. Camden House Publishing. ISBN 978-1-57113-308-3 – via Google Books.
External links[]
Media related to Statue of Alexander von Humboldt (Philadelphia) at Wikimedia Commons
- Association for Public Art
Coordinates: 39°58′56″N 75°12′21″W / 39.98224°N 75.20581°W
- 1871 establishments in Pennsylvania
- 1871 sculptures
- Alexander von Humboldt
- Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania
- Monuments and memorials in Philadelphia
- Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia
- Sculptures of men in Pennsylvania
- Statues in Pennsylvania