The idea for a memorial to William Shakespeare in Philadelphia was first raised in 1892 by the artist John Sartain.[1][2] Sartain was a member of the Fairmount Park Art Association and proposed to the organization the creation of a memorial, though this did not initially come to fruition.[1] However, in 1916—the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death—association members became reinterested in the idea.[1] By 1917, funds had been secured for its creation.[1]
Sculptor J. Massey Rhind offered his services for the design of the memorial,[2] though the association ultimately commissioned Alexander Stirling Calder, with Gilbert McIlvaine and Wilson Eyre serving as architects.[2] Contracts for the memorial were signed by those involved on August 1, 1919.[2] For the location, the art association and the committee overseeing the memorial collaborated with several architects, such as Paul Philippe Cret, Jacques Gréber, and McIlvaine, and decided on a plot in front of the Parkway Central Library.[1] The location was approved in 1926.[2] That same year, between July and November, casting was performed at the Roman Bronze Works in New York City at a cost of $4,875 (equivalent to $86,586 in 2024).[2]
The base of the memorial was created by the architectural firm of Wilson Eyre & McIlvaine, with carving done by John Meanwell & Sons.[3] R. C. Ballinger & Company served as the primary contractor for the project.[3] It was installed at the site in 1928 and subsequently dedicated on the anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday on April 23, 1929.[1] However, in 1953, the memorial was moved to its current location at the nearby Logan Circle due to the construction of the Vine Street Expressway near the library.[1] It is approximately 30ft (9.1m) south of where it was originally dedicated.[2]
The memorial consists of a bronze sculpture measuring 6ft (1.8m) tall atop a black marble base measuring 14ft 2in (4.32m) tall.[1] The sculpture consists of two characters from Shakespeare's works, Prince Hamlet and Touchstone, who represent Tragedy and Comedy, respectively.[1] Hamlet is shown seated on a tall base while Touchstone is seated at his feet.[3] Hamlet is holding a bladed weapon in his right hand and is turned towards his left in a slightly hunched over position.[3] Meanwhile, Touchstone, dressed as a jester, is leaning back and laughing, with his face turned towards his right.[3] His left arm is draped over Hamlet's lap while his legs extend slightly over the base of the memorial.[3] Calder's last name is featured on the sculpture, while the front of the base has the following inscription, part of the "All the world's a stage" monologue from Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It:[3]
ALL THE/WORLD'S A STAGE,/AND ALL THE/MEN AND WOMEN/MERELY PLAYERS/SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL
The rear of the base contains several inscriptions.[3] On the left side:[3]
THESE OUR ACTORS/BROUGHT LUSTER TO THE/PHILADELPHIA STAGE/THOMAS WIGNELL/WILLIAM B. WOOD/JOSEPH JEFFERSON/JOHN DREW/LOUISA LANE DREW/CHARLES BURKE/EDWIN FORREST/JAMES E. MURDOCH/E.L. DAVENPORT/JOHN DREW, JR.
BY THEIR STUDY OF/SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS/THESE SCHOLARS ADDED/TO THE DISTINCTION OF/PHILADELPHIA LETTERS/JOSEPH DENNIE(sic)/FIRST AMERICAN EDITOR/OF SHAKESPEARE/HORAE HOWARD FURNESS/EDITOR OF NEW VARIORUM SHAKESPEARE/ASA ISRAEL FISH/FOUNDER OF THE SHAKSPERE(sic)/SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA/HORACE HOWARD FURNESS JR./EDITOR OF/NEW VARIORUM SHAKESPEARE
Additionally, the seal of the Fairmount Park Art Association appears on the middle section of the rear of the base.[3]
It is located at Logan Circle, near the intersection of Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 18th Street.[2] It is near the Swann Memorial Fountain, which was also designed by Calder.[2]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
