Autograph Letter about George Washington Statue

Autograph letter from the important American sculptor, known for the Lincoln Memorial and other patriotic monuments, to astronomer and West Point librarian Edward Singleton Holden, quoting a price for a statue of George Washington to be erected at West Point. Dated July 17, 1902. Holden estimates a cost of $30,000 for a bronze statue of Washington with pedestal, similar to his 1900 statue made for the Place d'Iéna in Paris. Finishing, he writes that "To have this statue erected at West Point would give me almost too much joy for a mere mortal." 1 p. Usual folds, mounting remnants on verso, else in fine condition.

A group of American women had commissioned French to create an equestrian statue of George Washington to be donated to the city of Paris in 1900. However, the military academy at West Point did not choose French for their statue project, instead commissioning a copy of Henry Kirke Brown's 1856 Union Square sculpture of Washington. This bronze replica was cast by Clarence P. Towne and dedicated in 1916, and is now known as the Washington Monument at West Point. (14602)

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Autograph Letter

Art & Design

History & Historiography

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