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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Equestrian Statue Of George Washington (Morristown, New Jersey)

George Washington is an outdoor equestrian statue by the American sculptor Frederick Roth located near the Ford Mansion, Washington's Headquarters, in Morristown, New Jersey, United States. It was commissioned by philanthropist E. Mabel Clark to commemorate General George Washington's importance to the history of the city. The bronze sculpture was dedicated on October 19, 1928, the anniversary of the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.

History

Morristown was the site of two winter encampments by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The first one was from January to May 1777, with Washington's headquarters at Arnold's Tavern. The second one was from December 1779 to June 1780, with Washington's headquarters at the Ford Mansion.

E. Mabel Clark was the daughter of Charles F. Clark, President of the Bradstreet Company, now Dun & Bradstreet. The family lived in New York City and had a country house, Fairacres, in the Normandy Park section of Morristown. She commissioned Frederick Roth for an equestrian statue of Washington and specified that the horse be modeled after the workhorse she had seen pulling a milk wagon in New York. Roth was known as an animal sculptor, especially for his 1925 Statue of Balto in New York's Central Park. He finished c. 1927 and had the statue cast in Florence, Italy, at the bronze works foundry of Gusmano Vignali c. 1927–1928. The installation site, a small triangular plot bounded by Morris and Washington Avenues, was donated to the city by Dr. Henry M. Dodge. Clark donated the statue to the city at the dedication on October 19, 1928. Speakers included Mayor Clyde W. Potts and Justice Charles W. Parker of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The sculptor attended the ceremony and was honored at a reception hosted by Clark.

Description

The sculpture depicts Washington in winter, wearing a uniform with a mantle and tricorner hat. The sculptor signed it: F.G.R. Roth. The statue measures approximately 12 feet (3.7 m) high x 4 feet 7 inches (1.40 m) wide x 10 feet (3.0 m) long and is on a granite base that measures approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high x 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) wide x 11 feet (3.4 m) long. The front of the base is inscribed: Washington, the back is inscribed:

Headquarters at Morristown
January – May 1777
December 1779 – June 1780

Legacy

A photograph of the statue, with Washington's Headquarters in the background, was featured in the booklet for the dedication of the Morristown National Historical Park on July 4, 1933. Clark was a member of the reception committee. The statue was surveyed by the Save Outdoor Sculpture program of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1994.

See also

References

  1. ^ "George Washington Equestrian Statue – Morristown". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Washington, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Seidel, Maria. "Morristown, NJ". Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  4. ^ "Charles F. Clark Dead.; President of the Bradstreet Company Expires in London". The New York Times. September 4, 1904. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "Ross Museum Background and History" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023. Ella Mabel Clark was a patron of the arts in New York city and Morristown, New Jersey
  6. ^ Barbato, Joan (June 19, 1983). "George and the work horse". Daily Record. Morristown, New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Two or three years ago in New York, while taking her daily walk with her dogs, she met a wonderful horse drawing a Sheffield Farm milk wagon, and it occurred to her that a horse of this powerful build was the ideal type for Washington's mount.
  7. ^ Stevens, Christopher M. (2005). "Cultural Landscape Report for Washington's Headquarters. Morristown National Historical Park" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 55. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bronze Statue of Washington Unveiled in Morristown, N. J." The New York Times. October 20, 1928. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Statue of George Washington, Ford Mansion, 1928, Morristown, NJ". Morristown & Morris Township Library. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Butler, Philip Livingston (1933). The Morristown National Historical Park. Dedicated July 4th, 1933 at Morristown, New Jersey. p. 1. doi:10.7282/T3N878RK. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "Washington sculpture / (photographer unknown)". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.