Statue of Daniel Webster (Boston)

Last updated
Statue of Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster by Hiram Powers - DSC00207.JPG
The statue in 2011
Statue of Daniel Webster (Boston)
Artist Hiram Powers
Subject Daniel Webster
Coordinates 42°21′28.7″N71°3′48.6″W / 42.357972°N 71.063500°W / 42.357972; -71.063500

A statue of Daniel Webster (sometimes called Daniel Webster) by Hiram Powers is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Contents

Description and history

Funded by the Webster Memorial Committee, the 1858 bronze sculpture rests on a granite base, and was installed in 1859. The memorial was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1994. [1]

Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, police closed the gates to the State House lawn, cutting off public access to several of the statues, including Webster, Anne Hutchinson, John F. Kennedy, Henry Cabot Lodge and Horace Mann. These statues are still visible at a distance from the Beacon Street sidewalk, through a fence. Only the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker and the statue of Mary Dyer remained open to close public inspection, as they are located in the pedestrian plaza of the building's main public entrance. [2]

"I understand why the gates are shut, and I'm not going to question any security measures," said Susan Greendyke Lachevre, art collections manager for the Massachusetts Art Commission at the State House, in The Boston Globe in 2006. "But the monuments were made for the public. It is a shame that the public can't get any closer to them." [2]

Public access to the Kennedy statue was restored in 2015, by allowing State House visitors, after clearing the security checkpoint, to exit the building at a nearby door staffed by security officers. This access is limited to weekdays during business hours in spring and summer. [3] Visitors are still not allowed full access to the State House lawn and the other statues.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ball (artist)</span> American sculptor and musician (1819–1911)

Thomas Ball was an American sculptor and musician. His work has had a marked influence on monumental art in the United States, especially in New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bashka Paeff</span> American artist

Bashka Paeff, was an American sculptor active near Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Webster Memorial</span> Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Daniel Webster Memorial is a monument in Washington, D.C. honoring U.S. statesman Daniel Webster. It is located near Webster's former home at 1603 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, beside Scott Circle at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Powers</span> American sculptor

Preston Powers was an American sculptor, painter, and teacher, born in Florence, Italy. He is also known as William Preston Powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker</span> Equestrian statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

An equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, facing Beacon Street in Boston, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Wendell Phillips</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Wendell Phillips is installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Charles Sumner (Boston)</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Charles Sumner by Thomas Ball is installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Horace Mann</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Horace Mann by Emma Stebbins is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Mary Dyer</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Quaker religious martyr Mary Dyer by Sylvia Shaw Judson is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<i>George Robert White Memorial</i> Sculpture in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

The George Robert White Memorial, also known as The Spirit of Giving, is an outdoor memorial commemorating George Robert White by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon, installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The 1924 bronze sculpture depicts an allegorical winged female on a Rockport granite base, above an elliptical-shaped granite and pebble fountain. It was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993. The fountain was disabled in the 1980s and remained so until 2016 when it was repaired and restored by the Friends of the Public Garden at a cost of $700,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko (Boston)</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson is installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Henry Cabot Lodge</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Henry Cabot Lodge by Raymond Averill Porter is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Anne Hutchinson</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Anne Hutchinson by Cyrus Edwin Dallin is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<i>Triton Babies Fountain</i> Fountain and sculpture in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Triton Babies Fountain is a fountain and sculpture by Anna Coleman Ladd, installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It features a bronze sculpture, cast in 1922, that depicts a boy and girl and measures approximately 2 ft. 3 in. x 19 in. x 39 in. The statue rests on a granite base measuring approximately 2 ft. 6 in. x 18 in. x 31 in. The work was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George Washington (Boston)</span> Equestrian statue of George Washington by Thomas Ball in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

An equestrian statue of George Washington by Thomas Ball is installed in Boston's Public Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of George S. Patton (Boston)</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A 1953 statue of George S. Patton by James Earle Fraser is installed along Boston's Charles River Esplanade, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John F. Kennedy (Boston)</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of John F. Kennedy by Isabel McIlvain is installed outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Josiah Quincy III</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of Josiah Quincy III by Thomas Ball is installed outside Boston's Old City Hall, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The sculpture belongs to the City of Boston.

<i>John Boyle OReilly Memorial</i> Sculpture in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

The John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial by Daniel Chester French is a memorial installed along Boston's Fenway, near the intersection of Boylston Street, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was created in 1896 to honor Irish-born writer and activist John Boyle O'Reilly not long after his death in 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Robert Burns (Boston)</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of poet Robert Burns by Henry Hudson Kitson is installed along The Fens in Boston's Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Between 1975 and 2019, it stood in Boston's Winthrop Square.

References

  1. "Daniel Webster, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Nichols, Russell (May 29, 2006). "Debate on Access, Security Unfolds at Gates of State House". The Boston Globe . Boston, Mass. p. D8.
  3. Annear, Steve (April 18, 2015). "JFK Memorial Can Be Seen Again; State House Restores Public Access to Statue". The Boston Globe . Boston, Mass. p. B2.