BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show? [Slideshow]

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] SIAHGW_220508_01.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[2] SIAHGW_220508_06.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[3] SIAHGW_220508_09.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[4] SIAHGW_220508_12.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[5] SIAHGW_220508_13.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[6] SIAHGW_220508_16.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[7] SIAHGW_220508_21.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[8] SIAHGW_220508_24.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[9] SIAHGW_220508_25.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[10] SIAHGW_220508_29.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[11] SIAHGW_220508_31.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[12] SIAHGW_220508_37.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[13] SIAHGW_220508_42.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[14] SIAHGW_220508_47.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[15] SIAHGW_220508_48.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[16] SIAHGW_220508_51.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[17] SIAHGW_220508_54.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[18] SIAHGW_220508_56.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[19] SIAHGW_220508_60.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[20] SIAHGW_220508_62.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[21] SIAHGW_220508_64.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[22] SIAHGW_220508_68.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAHGW_220508_01.JPG: George Washington, 1732–1799 George Washington spent his life in service to the nation. As a young man he served in the Virginia militia and House of Burgesses. The Continental Congress appointed him commander of the newly formed Continental Army. He led his troops to victory and American independence in 1783. The retired general served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. When the Constitution was ratified, Washington was the unanimous choice for president of the new United States of America. After two terms he again retired to life as a wealthy Virginia planter. The nation mourned when he died on December 14, 1799. "Father of His Country" Admired in his time for courage, integrity, and leadership, George Washington became an icon after his death -- a man to be emulated and venerated in monuments, celebrations, and epic stories, both real and myth. While Washington can seem a distant figure to 21st-century Americans, and modern scholarship focuses on the fallible man rather than the marble hero, his image is still used for inspiration, patriotism, and commercial gain. Now joined by modern heroic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington continues to hold a place for many as a symbolic "father" of the country.
2. SIAHGW_220508_06.JPG: George Washington, 1732–1799 George Washington spent his life in service to the nation. As a young man he served in the Virginia militia and House of Burgesses. The Continental Congress appointed him commander of the newly formed Continental Army. He led his troops to victory and American independence in 1783. The retired general served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. When the Constitution was ratified, Washington was the unanimous choice for president of the new United States of America. After two terms he again retired to life as a wealthy Virginia planter. The nation mourned when he died on December 14, 1799.
3. SIAHGW_220508_09.JPG: "Father of His Country" Admired in his time for courage, integrity, and leadership, George Washington became an icon after his death -- a man to be emulated and venerated in monuments, celebrations, and epic stories, both real and myth. While Washington can seem a distant figure to 21st-century Americans, and modern scholarship focuses on the fallible man rather than the marble hero, his image is still used for inspiration, patriotism, and commercial gain. Now joined by modern heroic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington continues to hold a place for many as a symbolic "father" of the country.
4. SIAHGW_220508_42.JPG: George Washington by Horatio Greenough, 1840 In 1832, to mark the centennial of George Washington's birth, the U.S. Congress commissioned a statue of the first president. The classically inspired sculpture honored Washington as a leader in war and peace -- the victorious general who voluntarily handed his power, symbolized by the sword, back to the people. The unconventional statue of the bare-chested and sandaled president was installed in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building, and later the capitol grounds, before it was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1908.
5. SIAHGW_220508_47.JPG: Classical Symbolism, Nationalistic Views George Washington's chair is covered with symbols of a heroic nation. The Greek god Apollo in his chariot represents American enlightenment. Hercules saving himself and his brother Iphicles from a snake symbolizes the perceived courage of the American people. Christopher Columbus and a Native American represent the meeting of the old and new worlds. The Latin inscription on the back of the chair reads: Horatio Greenough created this image as a great example of liberty and one which will not endure without it.
6. SIAHGW_220508_56.JPG: SIMULACRUM ISTUD AD MAGNUM LIBERTATIS EXEMPLUM NEC SINE IPSA DURATURUM HORATIUS GREENOUGH FACIEBAT [ FIGURE NEAR YOU THE BIG MODEL OF FREEDOM DON'T LAST WITHOUT IT HORACE GREENOUGH HE DID ]
Multi Column: Number of columns of thumbnails to appear per page (normally defaults to 3): [1 col] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Description of Subject Matter: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841
When the Museum reopens November 21, 2008, each wing of its three exhibition floors will be anchored by a Landmark object—large, compelling artifacts that will highlight the theme of that wing. The exhibitions in the west wing of the second floor are focused on American lives and include “Within These Walls…” and “Communities in a Changing Nation: The Promise of 19th-Century America.” The George Washington statue is the signature artifact for this section of the museum.
In 1832 the U.S. Congress commissioned sculptor Horatio Greenough to create a statue of George Washington on the occasion of the centennial of the first president’s birthday. Installed in the Capitol Rotunda after its completion, Greenough envisioned the statue to be a symbolic representation of Washington as a great exemplar of liberty.
The completed 12-ton marble statue atop a granite pedestal and base depicted the first president wearing a chest-baring toga. While many viewers appreciated the artist’s attempt to create a timeless masterpiece, others saw only an inappropriately dressed Washington. A friend of the artist noted: “This magnificent production of genius does not seem to be appreciated at its full value in this metropolis.”
Greenough’s sculpture is enriched with symbols: Washington’s figure is modeled on the classic statuary of ancient Greece, seat of the world’s first democracy. Carvings on the sides depict the Greek god Apollo and an infant Hercules. Small flanking figures of an American Indian and Christopher Columbus represent the New and Old Worlds. The most important symbol, however, is the sword in Washington’s outstretched hand: this celebrates the fact that after he led the country to victory in the American Revolution, he selflessly relinquished his power to the people.
The statue was on display in the Capitol Rotunda from 1841 to 1843 when it was relocated to the east lawn. In 1908 Congress transferred the statue to the Smit ...More...
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2017_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (11 photos from 2017)
- 2012_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (8 photos from 2012)
- 2009_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (3 photos from 2009)
- 2008_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (9 photos from 2008)
- 2006_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (10 photos from 2006)
- 2002_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (3 photos from 2002)
- 1997_DC_SIAH_GWStatue: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Landmark Object: George Washington Statue, 1841 (5 photos from 1997)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(Smithsonian) American History Museum (Everything)] [(Smithsonian) American History Museum (Non-Events)] [Museums (History)]
2022 photos: This year included major setbacks -- including Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the Supreme Court imposing the evangelical version of sharia law -- but also some steps forward like the results of the midterms. This website had its 20th anniversary in August, 2022. Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Trips this year: (February) a visit to see Dad and Dixie in Asheville, NC with some other members of my family, (July) a trip out west for the return of San Diego Comic-Con, and (October) a long weekend in New York to cover New York Comic-Con. Number of photos taken this year: about 386,000, up 2020 and 2021 levels but still way below pre-pandemic levels.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link: [Thumbnails Only]
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].