Littlefield Fountain

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Littlefield Fountain
Littlefield Fountain, a monument by Italian-born sculptor Pompeo Coppini located on the main campus of The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas LCCN2014632359.tif
Littlefield Fountain in front of the Main Building Tower
Littlefield Fountain
Artist Pompeo Coppini (sculptor)
Paul Philippe Cret (architect)
Completion dateApril 29, 1933 (1933-April-29)
TypeMemorial fountain and sculpture
MediumSculpture: bronze
Fountain: granite
Fountain wall: limestone
Location Austin, Texas
Coordinates 30°17′02″N97°44′23″W / 30.28389°N 97.73972°W / 30.28389; -97.73972
Owner University of Texas at Austin

Littlefield Fountain (also known as the Littlefield Memorial Gateway) [1] is a World War I memorial monument designed by Italian-born sculptor Pompeo Coppini on the main campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, at the entrance to the university's South Mall. Completed in 1933, the monument is named after university regent and benefactor George W. Littlefield, whose donation paid for its design and construction.

Contents

History

In 1916 Major George W. Littlefield, a former regent of the University of Texas at Austin and major benefactor to its development, proposed the construction of a memorial arch over the university's southern entrance that would honor the Confederate dead from the Civil War. In 1919 Littlefield contacted San Antonio-based Italian-born sculptor Pompeo Coppini, requesting a design that would include images of notable figures from the history of Texas and the American South, [2] and proposing to fund the project with a donation of $200,000 (equivalent to $3,000,000in 2022). [3]

Coppini developed a design featuring a 40-foot (12 m) blind arch framing statues of six Confederate figures behind a pool and fountains, but he warned Littlefield that the project would require a larger budget, even after Littlefield agreed to increase his donation to $250,000. On April 15, 1920, Coppini presented university officials with a new, cheaper design that eliminated the arch and expanded the fountain pool to hold a large allegorical sculpture. [3] Coppini also persuaded Littlefield to dedicate the monument to the students and alumni who had died in the Great War (now known as World War I), arguing that a Confederate memorial would only prolong the lingering resentments from the Civil War. [2]

Littlefield died in November 1920, and Coppini spent most of the next decade developing the sculptures that he intended for the memorial. The project was impeded by cost overruns and delays, including a labor strike by Coppini's bronze workers. [1] The six human figures were completed in 1925 and temporarily displayed in the Texas State Capitol, and the central sculpture was completed in 1928. [3] Construction of the fountain was begun in the fall of 1932, with its plan somewhat altered by campus architect Paul Philippe Cret and the six statues relocated to the adjoining South Mall. [2] The memorial was dedicated on April 29, 1933, [4] and the water was turned on that March. [2]

Statue and inscription controversy and removals

The now-removed inscription on the west wall of the fountain complex Littlefield fountain inscription.jpg
The now-removed inscription on the west wall of the fountain complex

The Littlefield Fountain's function as a memorial to the Confederacy drew criticism even when it was first proposed in the early twentieth century. [3] After the fountain's installation, the statues of Confederate notables along the university's South Mall that Coppini had designed for the fountain attracted controversy, as did a dedication inscribed on a wall along the west edge of the fountain complex, which honored the Confederate cause along with American participation in World War I. In 2004 university President Larry Faulkner wrote a letter recommending that the six Coppini statues be moved up to the edges of the fountain and supplemented by a plaque that would explain the symbolism intended by the artist and provide historical context for the figures, but no such steps were taken during his tenure. [1]

Beginning in 2015 and accelerating in 2017, a national controversy grew over the prominent positions of monuments to the Confederacy in many public spaces across the United States, and particularly in the American South. [5] In March 2015 UT's student government passed a resolution calling for the removal of Coppini's statue of Jefferson Davis from the South Mall. [6] That August the university removed the statues of both Davis and Woodrow Wilson from the Mall and placed them in storage, despite a lawsuit from the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which failed to persuade the Texas Supreme Court to block the plan. [7] Davis's statue was later relocated to the university's Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, where it has been displayed since 2017. [8] [9]

In July 2016 the university removed the stone panels bearing the dedication inscription from the fountain complex and stored them, possibly for future display at the Briscoe Center. [10] On August 20, 2017, in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the university removed the remaining four Coppini statues of Confederate notables from the South Mall. [11] [12]

Design

Detail of the bronze sculpture in Littlefield Fountain Littlefield fountain UT.JPG
Detail of the bronze sculpture in Littlefield Fountain

The memorial consists of a fountain set in a three-tiered semicircular granite pool, with a large bronze sculpture rising above the water, backed by a limestone wall. [4] Two rows of fountain nozzles run from front to back in the top tier along the sides of the central sculpture, spraying diagonal jets of water onto the sculpture's base.

The sculpture depicts the prow of a ship emerging from the stone wall behind it, with an eagle perched on its tip. The ship bears the winged figure of Columbia, who holds two raised torches and is flanked by the figures of a soldier and a sailor. Ahead of the ship are three hippocamps, partially submerged in the pool, two of which are mounted by mermen. [4] The group represents American armed forces sailing overseas to defend democracy in the Great War, surrounded by symbols of American strength and unity. [3]

The limestone wall behind the fountain bears two bronze plaques. One is inscribed "THESE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS GAVE THEIR LIVES TO THEIR COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WAR," followed by two columns of names listing all UT students and alumni killed in the Great War; the other reads "BREVIS A NATVRA NOBIS VITA DATA EST AT MEMORIA BENE REDDITAE VITAE SEMPITERNA" (Latin: "A short life hath been given by Nature unto man; but the remembrance of a life laid down in a good cause endureth forever"). [4]

Changes to Coppini's design

In Coppini's original design, the fountain was to be backed by a pair of 37-foot (11 m) stone obelisks, representing the Confederacy and the Union. [3] In front of the Confederacy's pylon he intended to place a statue of Jefferson Davis, faced on the Union's side by one of Woodrow Wilson. Coppini meant to present the men as two "war presidents," one governing the Confederacy through the Civil War, the other leading America through the Great War, with their juxtaposition symbolizing the reunification of the United States after the divisions of the Civil War. Littlefield also selected Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston, Confederate postmaster general John Reagan, and Texas governor Jim Hogg to be depicted in bronze statues which would flank the fountain, representing historical figures of Texas and the South. [2]

However, in the late 1920s the university regents decided to remove the obelisks from the plan, in part to reduce the memorial's cost (which had overrun Littlefield's donation), and in part to preserve the view of the university's Main Building along the South Mall. In 1930 the university's campus architect, Paul Philippe Cret, decided that the six bronze statues Coppini had meant to surround the fountain would instead be installed at various points along the South Mall, asserting that the figures would appear too crowded in the small space around the memorial. These alterations were vehemently opposed by Coppini, who felt that the omission of the obelisks ruined the symbolism he had intended, and that the disarrangement of the statues reduced them to mere decorations. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pompeo Coppini</span> American sculptor

Pompeo Luigi Coppini was an Italian born sculptor who emigrated to the United States. Although his works can be found in Italy, Mexico and a number of U.S. states, the majority of his work can be found in Texas. He is particularly famous for the Alamo Plaza work, Spirit of Sacrifice, a.k.a. The Alamo Cenotaph, as well as numerous statues honoring Texan figures, such as Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the fourth President of Texas A&M University.

<i>Confederate War Memorial</i> (Dallas) Confederate monument previously displayed in Dallas, Texas, United States

The Confederate War Memorial was a 65 foot (20 m)-high monument that pays tribute to soldiers and sailors from Texas who served with the Confederate States of America (CSA) during the American Civil War. The monument was dedicated in 1897, following the laying of its cornerstone the previous year. Originally located in Sullivan Park near downtown Dallas, Texas, United States, the monument was relocated in 1961 to the nearby Pioneer Park Cemetery in the Convention Center District, next to the Dallas Convention Center and Pioneer Plaza.

Confederate monuments and memorials in the United States include public displays and symbols of the Confederate States of America (CSA), Confederate leaders, or Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. Many monuments and memorials have been or will be removed under great controversy. Part of the commemoration of the American Civil War, these symbols include monuments and statues, flags, holidays and other observances, and the names of schools, roads, parks, bridges, buildings, counties, cities, lakes, dams, military bases, and other public structures. In a December 2018 special report, Smithsonian Magazine stated, "over the past ten years, taxpayers have directed at least $40 million to Confederate monuments—statues, homes, parks, museums, libraries, and cemeteries—and to Confederate heritage organizations."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Teich</span> American sculptor

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Jefferson Davis (Austin, Texas)</span> Statue by Pompeo Coppini in Austin Texas, U.S.

Jefferson Davis is a statue depicting the American-Confederate politician of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall from 1933 to 2015, when it was relocated to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, Texas.

Woodrow Wilson is a sculpture depicting the American president of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall in Austin, Texas from 1933 until its removal in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Robert E. Lee (Austin, Texas)</span> Statue of Robert E. Lee by Pompeo Coppini in Austin, Texas, U.S.

Robert E. Lee is an outdoor bronze sculpture depicting the American general of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall in Austin, Texas from 1933 until its removal in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Jim Hogg</span> Statue in Austin, Texas, U.S.

James Stephen Hogg is an outdoor sculpture depicting the American lawyer and statesman of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall in Austin, Texas from 1933 until its removal in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Albert Sidney Johnston (University of Texas at Austin)</span> Statue by Pompeo Coppini in Austin Texas, U.S.

Albert Sidney Johnston is an outdoor sculpture depicting the general of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall in Austin, Texas from 1933 until its removal in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John Henninger Reagan</span> Statue of John H. Reagan by Pompeo Coppini in Austin, Texas, U.S.

John H. Reagan is an outdoor sculpture depicting the American politician of the same name by Pompeo Coppini. The sculpture was commissioned in 1919 by George W. Littlefield to be included in the Littlefield Fountain on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It was installed on the university's South Mall in Austin, Texas from 1933 until its removal in 2017.

<i>Confederate Soldiers Monument</i> (Austin, Texas) Monument in Austin, Texas, U.S.

The Confederate Soldiers Monument, also known as the Confederate Dead Monument, is a Confederate memorial installed outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. It was erected in 1903. Its sculpture was designed by Pompeo Coppini, and its base was designed by Frank Teich. The sculpture was cast by Roman Bronze Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials</span> Ongoing controversy in the United States

More than 160 monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America and associated figures have been removed from public spaces in the United States, all but five since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn down by protestors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Jefferson Davis (U.S. Capitol)</span> Statue of Jefferson Davis by Henry Augustus Lukeman in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Jefferson Davis, created by Henry Augustus Lukeman, is a bronze sculpture of Jefferson Davis – a U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War, plantation owner and the only President of the Confederate States of America – commissioned by the U.S. State of Mississippi for inclusion in National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall, in Washington, D.C. The statue was controversial at the time of its unveiling and there have been multiple efforts to remove it from the Capitol since 2015.

<i>Hoods Texas Brigade Monument</i> Monument in Austin, Texas, U.S.

The Hood's Texas Brigade Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating members of John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade of the Confederate Army installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculptured by Pompeo Coppini and erected in 1910. It is topped by a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier.

<i>Terrys Texas Rangers Monument</i> Memorial in Austin, Texas, U.S.

Terry's Texas Rangers Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating Terry's Texas Rangers, a regiment of the Confederate Army installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was designed by Pompeo Coppini and erected in 1907.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Seale, Avrel (March 2007). "Southern Living: How to Start to End the Confederate Statue Controversy". The Alcalde . Vol. 95, no. 4. p. 18. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nicar, Jim (May 2001). "Symbolism Amok". The Alcalde . 89 (5): 79. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nicar, Jim (August 10, 2015). "The Great South Mall Controversy". The UT History Corner. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Littlefield Fountain, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System . Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. ↑ Kenning, Chris (August 15, 2017). "Confederate Monuments Are Coming Down Across the United States". The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  6. ↑ McCann, Mac (May 29, 2015). "Written in Stone: History of racism lives on in UT monuments". The Austin Chronicle . Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  7. ↑ Haurwitz, Ralph K.M. (September 23, 2016). "Crews remove Jefferson Davis, Woodrow Wilson statues from UT Main Mall". Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ Herman, Ken (April 7, 2017). "Jefferson Davis statue returns to University of Texas". The Dallas Morning News . Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Jefferson Davis is Back at UT". Texas Monthly . April 17, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ Haurwitz, Ralph K.M. (September 15, 2016). "UT removes Confederate inscription that it previously said would stay". Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ Haurwitz, Ralph K.M. (August 22, 2017). "UT removes Confederate statues from South Mall". Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  12. ↑ Bromwich, Jonah Engel (August 21, 2017). "University of Texas at Austin Removes Confederate Statues in Overnight Operation". The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
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