Statue of Alexander von Humboldt (Philadelphia)

The Alexander von Humboldt statue is a monumental statue of Alexander von Humboldt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in Fairmount Park, the statue was completed in 1871 and donated to the city in 1876.

Alexander von Humboldt statue
Alexander von Humboldt statue (2012)
LocationFairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
DesignerFriedrich Drake
MaterialBronze
Granite (pedestal)
Beginning dateSeptember 13, 1869
Completion date1871
Dedicated date1876
Dedicated toAlexander von Humboldt

History

Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian polymath active during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[1] In May 1804, during one of his scientific journeys through the Americas, he visited Philadelphia.[2] On September 13, 1869, on the centennial anniversary of Humboldt's birth, the cornerstone for a monument honoring him was laid in Fairmount Park, on a knoll overlooking the Girard Avenue Bridge, by the city's German society.[3] The statue on Humboldt was designed by Friedrich Drake, a German sculptor based in Berlin.[4] It was dedicated in 1871.[5] Several years later, in 1876, on the centennial of American independence, the statue was gifted to the city of Philadelphia and dedicated again.[6] According to the Association for Public Art, the statue was moved to another part of the park in 1977.

Design

The monument consists of a bronze sculpture of Humboldt placed on a granite socle. Humboldt is wearing a long coat, with his left hand on a globe. In his right hand is a scroll with "COSMOS" written on it.[6]

See also

References
  1. Tatlock & Erlin 2005, pp. 108–109.
  2. Pohlsander 2010, p. 76.
  3. Scharf & Westcott 1884, p. 1859.
  4. Federal Writers' Project 1937.
  5. Scharf & Westcott 1884, p. 1868.
  6. Pohlsander 2010, p. 77.

Bibliography
  • Philadelphia, a Guide to the Nation's Birthplace. Compiled by the Federal Writers' Project, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (1st ed.). The Telegraph Press. 1937. p. 549. ISBN 978-1-62376-058-8 – via Google Books.CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Pohlsander, Hans A. (2010). German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-0343-0138-1 – via Google Books.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Scharf, J. Thomas; Westcott, Thompson (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. III. L. H. Everts & Company – via Google Books.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Tatlock, Lynne; Erlin, Matt, eds. (2005). German Culture in Nineteenth-century America: Reception, Adaptation, Transformation. Camden House Publishing. ISBN 978-1-57113-308-3 – via Google Books.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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