Alexander Hamilton (Fraser)

Last updated
Alexander Hamilton
JEFraser Hamilton.jpg
Year1923
Type Bronze
LocationAlexander Hamilton Place, NW
Washington, D.C., USA
Coordinates 38°53′48″N77°02′04″W / 38.896661°N 77.034308°W / 38.896661; -77.034308
Owner National Park Service

A bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton by James Earle Fraser, dedicated on May 17, 1923, is found on the south patio (Alexander Hamilton Place, NW) of the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. [1] [2]

Bronze metal alloy

Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals and sometimes non-metals or metalloids such as arsenic, phosphorus or silicon. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone, or have other useful properties, such as stiffness, ductility, or machinability.

Statue sculpture primarily concerned as a representational figure

A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals or non-representational forms are carved in a durable material like wood, metal, or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture that represents persons or animals in full figure but that is small enough to lift and carry is a statuette or figurine, while one more than twice life-size is a colossal statue.

Alexander Hamilton first Secretary of the Treasury and Founding Father of the United States

Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and the New York Post newspaper. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of George Washington's administration. He took the lead in the Federal government's funding of the states' debts, as well as establishing a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. His vision included a strong central government led by a vigorous executive branch, a strong commercial economy, a national bank and support for manufacturing, and a strong military. Thomas Jefferson was his leading opponent, arguing for agrarianism and smaller government.

Contents

Description

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757, in Charlestown, the capital of the island of Nevis, in the Leeward Islands. Commissioned in 1917 and cast by the Kunst Foundry, the statue depicts Hamilton holding a tricorn hat and a long dress coat in his hands. In the statue, he is clad in knee breeches, a throat fichu, buckled shoes, and ruffled cuffs. The statue stands 10 feet (3.0 m) high atop a 9 feet (2.7 m)-tall granite base made by Henry Bacon. Charles Atlas posed for this statue. [3]

Charlestown, Nevis Place in Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Charlestown is the capital of the island of Nevis, in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. Charlestown is situated on the leeward side of the island of Nevis, near the southern end of Pinneys Beach.

Nevis island in the Caribbean Sea

Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Nevis is located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. Its area is 93 square kilometres (36 sq mi) and the capital is Charlestown.

Leeward Islands group of islands in the West Indies

The Leeward Islands are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica, is called the Windward Islands. Dominica was originally considered part of the Leeward Islands, but was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands in 1940.

Inscriptions

Alexander Hamilton at the dedication Alexander Hamilton statue, Washington D.C. 24200u original.jpg
Alexander Hamilton at the dedication

The base of the statue is inscribed on three sides.

The front reads:

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

1757 — 1804

FIRST SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

SOLDIER, ORATOR, STATESMAN
CHAMPION OF CONSTITUTIONAL UNION,
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND
NATIONAL INTEGRITY

The rear of the statue reads:

Fraser 1922

A. Kunst Foundry NY

The north face reads:

"He smote the rock of the national resources and abundant streams of revenue gushed forth. He touched the dead corpse of the public credit and it sprang upon its feet." [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Alexander Hamilton, (sculpture)". SIRIS
  2. » Alexander Hamilton Statue
  3. Maeder, Jay (May 16, 1999) "Charles Atlas Body and Soul" Archived August 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . New York Daily News.