American Monument

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American Monument
Meaux (77), monument de la Liberte eplore (memorial americain) 2.jpg
The monument in 2012
France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in France
Coordinates 48°58′22.8″N2°54′18″E / 48.973000°N 2.90500°E / 48.973000; 2.90500 Coordinates: 48°58′22.8″N2°54′18″E / 48.973000°N 2.90500°E / 48.973000; 2.90500
LocationRoute de Varreddes
77100 Meaux, France
Designer Frederick William MacMonnies
Edmondo Quattrocchi
Type Statue
Material Stone
Length15 metres (49 ft)
Width15 metres (49 ft)
Height26 metres (85 ft)
Dedicated dateSeptember 1932
Dedicated toAllied troops who fought in the First Battle of the Marne

The American Monument, also known as Tearful Liberty [1] or the Marne Battle Monument, [2] is a large monumental statue in Meaux, France. It was designed by American sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies and dedicated in 1932 in honor of the Allied troops who died in the First Battle of the Marne during World War I.

Contents

History

In 1914, during the First World War, German troops were advancing through northern France towards Paris. In September of that year, in the area near Meaux, the French Sixth Army launched an offensive against the German First Army. In the ensuing battle (known as the First Battle of the Marne), the French and British combined forces caused the Germans to retreat, saving Paris from attack. [3] In the United States, French sympathizers celebrated the victory. [1] Following the end of the war in 1918, there was an effort to erect a statue to commemorate the battle. [3] A contest was held to determine the designer of this monument, with Frederick William MacMonnies's model being chosen. [1] [3] Funds for the monument were raised in the United States, [3] and it was erected as a gift from Americans to the French people. [4] [5] MacMonnies collaborated with fellow American sculptor Edmondo Quattrocchi on part of the monument. [6] Described as his most ambitious project, [5] the monument would also be one of MacMonnies's last major commissions. [6] The monument took 14 years to erect and was dedicated in September 1932. [1] [3] In attendance at the dedication ceremony were French President Albert Lebrun, President of the Council Édouard Herriot, and members of the American Friends of France and the Ambulance Corps of the American Field Service. [3]

In 2011, the Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux  [ fr ] (Museum of the Great War) was opened next to the monument. [4]

Design

Inscription on the monument Meaux (77), monument de la Liberte eplore (memorial americain) 5.jpg
Inscription on the monument

The monument is a colossal structure that stands 26 metres (85 ft) tall. [1] Each side of the base measures 15 metres (49 ft). [3] The stone statue depicts a personification of Liberty surrounded by dead and dying people. [4] This central figure is also referred to as Marianne [3] or France Defiant. [6] On top of the figure's right leg is a dead son, while she holds a baby in one hand and a broken sword in the other. [3] The monument bears an inscription near the base which reads in part: [3]

Here speak again the silent voices of the heroic sons of France who dared all and gave all in the day of deadly peril and turned back the flood of imminent disaster and thrilled the world by their supreme devotion

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The American Monument". Tourisme en Pays de Meaux. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ Wingate, Jennifer (2016). Sculpting Doughboys: Memory, Gender, and Taste in America's World War I Memorials. Taylor & Francis. p. 72. ISBN   978-1-351-54976-9 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Homsher, David C. (2006). American Battlefields of World War 1, Château-Thierry – Then and Now. I. Battleground Productions. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-9702443-0-7 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 Rothstein, Edward (November 11, 2011). "Bringing the War Home". The New York Times . The New York Times Company. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Tolles, Thayer (1999). "Frederick William MacMonnies (1863–1937)". In Tolles, Thayer (ed.). American Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I. New York City: Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 428–429. ISBN   978-0-87099-914-7 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 Dearinger, David B. (2004). "Frederick William MacMonnies". In Dearinger, David B. (ed.). Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design: 1826-1925. I. New York City: Hudson Hills Press. pp. 372–373. ISBN   978-1-55595-029-3 – via Google Books.
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