Frances Elizabeth Willard (relief)

Last updated
Frances Elizabeth Willard
Frances Elizabeth Willard Plaque.jpg
Artist Lorado Taft
Year1929 (1929)
TypeBronze Relief
Dimensions126.4 cm× 81 cm× 1.3 cm(49.75 in× 32 in× .5 in)
LocationIndiana Statehouse, Indianapolis
Coordinates 39°46′7″N86°9′46″W / 39.76861°N 86.16278°W / 39.76861; -86.16278
OwnerIndiana Statehouse

Frances Elizabeth Willard is a public artwork designed by American artist Lorado Taft, [1] located in the rotunda of the Indiana State House, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is a bronze plaque, given by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Frances Elizabeth Willard's election as President of the WCTU. [2]

Contents

Description

This bronze plaque measures 32 inches wide, 49 3/4 inches tall, and 1/2 inch deep. It has an inscription at the top and an inscription at the bottom. A right side profile relief of Frances Elizabeth Willard is between the two inscriptions. She is depicted wearing a dress with leg-o-mutton sleeves and a high lace neck. Her hair is pulled back into a bun. [2]

The inscription on the top of the plaque reads:

In honor of one who made the world wider

for women and more homelike for humanity

Frances Elizabeth Willard

Intrepid Pathfinder and beloved leader

of the National and World's

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

The inscription on the bottom of the plaque reads:

Placed September 22-1929 by the

National W-C-T-U to commemorate the

Fiftieth Anniversary of Frances Willard's

Election as President in the city of

Indianapolis Indiana October 31-1879

The artist's signature is located on the front, proper left, bottom of the relief. It reads, "Lorado Taft Sc. 1929." The plaque is in excellent condition. [2]

Historical information

Location history

This plaque is located in the Indiana Statehouse Rotunda on the main floor. [2]

In 1968, there were new rules proposed to Governor Roger D. Branigin by Hubert H. Hawkins, director of the Indiana Historical Bureau, Mrs. Floyd Hopper, head of the Indiana Division in the Indiana State Library, and Robert D. Starrett, curator of the Indiana State Museum regarding the display of paintings, busts, plaques and other memorials within the Indiana Statehouse. The guidelines were created to ensure a stable and continuous policy prevail when choosing the artwork to be displayed in the Statehouse. [3]

If these guidelines were accepted, which they were not, the Frances Elizabeth Willard plaque would have been removed, along with the Sarah T. Bolton plaque. [3]

Recommended guidelines included: [3]

  1. Those individuals or events being commemorated should have a significant relationship to Indiana and/or Indiana history.
  2. Each display should have statewide importance.
  3. Individuals should not be honored until 10 years after their death.
  4. Statuary and plaques should be made of durable materials and busts should have identifying information attached to it.
  5. All items should be artistically acceptable.
  6. Those not meeting these requirements should be removed.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Willard</span> American temperance activist and suffragist

Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 and remained president until her death in 1898. Her influence continued in the next decades, as the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were adopted. Willard developed the slogan "Do Everything" for the WCTU and encouraged members to engage in a broad array of social reforms by lobbying, petitioning, preaching, publishing, and education. During her lifetime, Willard succeeded in raising the age of consent in many states as well as passing labor reforms including the eight-hour work day. Her vision also encompassed prison reform, scientific temperance instruction, Christian socialism, and the global expansion of women's rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorado Taft</span> American sculptor and writer (1860–1936)

Lorado Zadok Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, Fountain of Time, Spirit of the Great Lakes, and The Eternal Indian. His 1903 book, The History of American Sculpture, was the first survey of the subject and stood for decades as the standard reference. He has been credited with helping to advance the status of women as sculptors.

Otis Bowen is a bronze bust of Dr. Otis Bowen, who was the Governor of Indiana from 1973–1981 and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1985–1989 under President Ronald Reagan.

Robert Dale Owen Memorial is a public artwork located at the south entrance of the Indiana Statehouse along Washington Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. The memorial was donated to the state of Indiana and dedicated in 1911 in honor of the Indiana politician, Robert Dale Owen (1807–1877). The bronze portrait bust by Indiana sculptor, Frances M. Goodwin, has been missing from this memorial since 1970. The memorial's remaining pedestal is made from three stone blocks and includes a commemorative plaque.

<i>Sarah T. Bolton</i> (relief)

Sarah T. Bolton is a public artwork by American artist Emma Sangernebo (1877–1969). It is located on the second floor of the rotunda in the Indiana State House, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is a bronze sculptural relief of Indiana poet Sarah Tittle Bolton, née Barrett and contains four lines from Bolton's poem "Indiana".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Robert D. Orr</span> Bust by American artist Don Ingle

Robert D. Orr is a public artwork by American artist Jon Ingle which is located on the Indiana State House: Fourth Floor Rotunda, which is near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America. The bust is a bronze political sculpture of Robert D. Orr, the 45th Governor of Indiana. Created in 1987, the bust was a gift by the Rotary International chapter of Evansville, Indiana. The bust measures 30 x 21 x 15 in.; 76.2 x 53.34 x 38.1 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Henry F. Schricker</span>

Bust of Henry F. Schricker, is a public artwork by American artist David K. Rubins, located in the Indiana State House, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is a bronze bust of former Indiana governor Henry F. Schricker. The bust and its base are 49 inches high, 29 inches wide, and 22 inches long. The bust itself is 33.5 inches high on a 15.5 inch high base. It was installed in the southeast alcove of the Indiana State House in 1964 and faces east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Stephen Neal</span>

Stephen Neal is a public artwork by Indiana artist Clara Barth Leonard. It is located in the Indiana Statehouse, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The subject of the work is Stephen Neal, a member of the Indiana State Legislature and a Judge of the Boone County Circuit Court during the mid-to-late-19th century, as well as being the author of the original draft of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The bronze bust is located on the second floor of the Indiana Statehouse in a waist-high limestone niche, and faces west towards North Senate Avenue.

<i>George Washington</i> (copy of bust by Houdon)

George Washington (bust by Houdon) is a public artwork that is a limited edition copy of an original work by French neoclassical sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon that is on display inside the Indiana Statehouse, which is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The artwork was cast a solid piece of plaster that has been painted white.

<i>Plaque Commemorating First Formal Religious Service, Indianapolis</i> (Howard Petty)

Plaque Commemorating First Formal Religious Service , is a public artwork by American artist Howard Petty, located on the Indiana Statehouse, in Indianapolis. It was created in 1923 and set in the statehouse in 1924. It commemorates the first religious services held in Indianapolis in 1819 and the first organized church in 1821. The plaque is made of bronze and depicts a walnut tree in the foreground with a log cabin in the background. It is approximately 22 inches (560 mm) wide by 35.5 inches (900 mm) high and has a depth of .75 inches (19 mm).

<i>Christopher Columbus</i> (Vittori)

Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori and located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was installed on the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse lawn in 1920 as a gift from Italian immigrant communities in Indiana.

Calvin Fletcher is a public artwork by an unknown artist, located inside the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The marble bust depicts Calvin Fletcher (1798–1866), a man who settled in Indiana early in the state's history and went on to become an attorney and senator. The bust stands 47.5 inches high, has a width of 20 inches and a depth of 10.25 inches.

Ashbel Parsons Willard is a piece of public art by American sculptor Henry Dexter, located on the second floor or third level of the Indiana Statehouse, located between Washington Street and Ohio Street in Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, a U.S. state. The bust is located in a niche outside the central rotunda. It faces north and is on the eastern side of the rotunda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Richard Owen</span> Public artwork by American artist Belle Kinney Scholz

The Colonel Richard Owen bust is a public artwork by American artist Belle Kinney Scholz and is located in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The bronze bust was dedicated in 1913 as a memorial to U.S. Army Colonel Richard Owen. It was funded by contributions from individuals and Confederate veteran associations in recognition of Owen's courtesy to Confederate prisoners of war while he was commandant of Camp Morton, a prison camp in Indianapolis, during the American Civil War. The bust is approximately 70 inches (180 cm) tall, 40 inches (100 cm), and 21 inches (53 cm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of George Rogers Clark</span> Sculpture by David McLary

George Rogers Clark is a plaster bust made by American artist David McLary. Dated 1985, the sculpture depicts American Revolutionary War hero and frontiersman George Rogers Clark. The bust is located in an alcove on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, United States. The bust measures 32 inches (81 cm) by 20 inches (51 cm) by 15 inches (38 cm) and sets upon a wooden base measuring approximately 6 inches (15 cm) by 19 inches (48 cm) by 24.25 inches (61.6 cm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Matthew E. Welsh</span>

Matthew E. Welsh is a public artwork by American artist Daniel Edwards. It is located on the third floor of the Indiana State House, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The bronze bust depicts Matthew E. Welsh, the 41st governor of Indiana (1961–1965). The bust measures 23.5 x 12.75 x 12 inches and has a wooden base which measures 4 x 14.75 x 10.5 inches. In 1996, one year after Welsh's death, the Indianapolis law firm of Bingham, Summers, Welsh & Spilman commissioned artist Daniel Edwards to sculpt the bust of Welsh. The bust was dedicated in a ceremony at the Indiana Statehouse on December 20, 1996.

<i>Coal Miner</i> (statue) Statue by John J. Szaton

Coal Miner is a public artwork by Polish American artist John J. Szaton (1907–1966) which is located in two US State capitals; the original, commissioned in 1963 in Springfield, Illinois, as well as a copy on the west lawn of the Indiana State House in Indianapolis The statues commemorate coal miners who had lost their lives in those states' mining industry. The 7-foot (2.1 m) tall statue rests on a 3-foot (0.91 m) square, granite base supported by a cement foundation that is 4–6 inches (100–150 mm) thick.

<i>Wendell Willkie</i> (relief)

Wendell Willkie plaque is a public sculpture at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was designed by American sculptor and educator Paul Fjelde. This bronze plaque honors Wendell L. Willkie (1892–1944) who was the Republican Party nominee for the U.S. presidency in 1940. The plaque was placed in the Statehouse rotunda on February 18, 1950. The inscription on the bottom of the plaque was taken from Willkie's book "One World" which calls for unified world order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Abraham Lincoln (Indianapolis)</span>

Abraham Lincoln is a public artwork by American sculptor and medallist Thomas Dow Jones, located in the Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The painted plaster bust of Abraham Lincoln that resides in the Indiana Statehouse is a copy of an 1861 clay bust. Several versions of the bust exist in plaster, marble, and bronze mediums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Sherman Minton</span>

The bust of Sherman Minton is a public artwork by American artist Robert Merrell Gage, located on the main floor of the Indiana Statehouse, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Cast in bronze in 1956, it was commissioned to honor politician — a United States senator from Indiana and later an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.— and Indiana native Sherman Minton.

References

  1. Scherrer, Anton (18 April 1939). "Our Town". Indianapolis Times. Indianapolis.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Indiana State Museum. Engraving of Frances Elizabeth Willard, ID 99.2006.020.0065. 25 September 2006. Retrieved from Indiana State Museum Mimsy Database 18 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Statehouse Art Rule Changes Proposed". Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis. 28 February 1968.