View showing an unexecuted monument commissioned by the citizen's group National Commemoration Monument Association and designed by sculptor William Wetmore Story for the re-landscaping of the square for the Centennial celebration of 1876. Shows the figure of Liberty standing upon a column adorned with female allegorical figures; an eagle encircled by stars; fearsome animal heads; and floral ornaments. The monument was to be placed in the center of the square at the intersection of the main paths. In 1876, the committee asked to and was allowed to be released from a city ordinance, passed in March 1875, that required them to raise $50,000 for the erection of the monument and the project effort apparently dissolved., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 483, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 632 S 888
Date
c1876
Location
Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 632 S 888
View showing a rendering of the monument, surrounded by trees and bushes, to be erected in honor of German natural scientist Alexander von Humboldt in East Fairmount Park. Monument composed of a bust of Humboldt resting on a column pedestal adorned with lion-mouthed fountains and two cherubs holding a globe marked "Cosmos" (representing Humboldt's 5-volume work about his knowledge of the earth). A stone canopy with benches protects the monument under and near which a lady and two gentlemen stand. Also shows a short level of stairs leading to the monument. The cornerstone of the monument, commissioned by German societies, was laid facing the entrance to Girard Avenue Bridge during a celebration of the centennial of the birth of Humboldt on September 13, 1869. The completed monument, including a full-length sculpture by Frederick Drake, was unveiled on July 4, 1876 during the Centennial Exhibition., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 366, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 632 H 881, Collins & Autenrieth, were German-born Philadelphia architects who worked on several projects for the German immigrant community of Philadelphia.
Date
[ca. 1869]
Location
Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bb 632 H 881
