World's Columbian Exposition: Statue of the Republic, Chicago, United States, 1893. Statue of the Republic, [taken with a view of the Peristyle in the background;] Daniel Chester French. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection (S03_06_01_016 image 2242).
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Andrew Burd, asias_faves, jay_goz, brettbigb, and 12 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Funchye 54 months ago | reply
I came across this photo when trying to verify the statue behind my grandfather at this photo taken in the 1930s:
It must be the same statue, but to me it seems that "my" statue is holding some other things in the hands?
Brooklyn Museum 54 months ago | reply
Agreed. Also, your grandfather's car is in front of it and there's water in front of the one at the Columbian Expo. I noticed that someone tagged this "Statue of the Republic" and when I google that, I come to this wiki article, but still no explanation for the differences in what it is holding. If you solve this mystery, post back - would love to know how this turns out.
Shelley, Chief of Technology, Brooklyn Museum
Rob Ketcherside 54 months ago | reply
Here's a quote from the description of Statue of the Republic
found in the great set of articles on the Hyde Park site:
"The original had the left hand holding a lance decorated with laurel leaves and a Phrygian Cap representing the French Revolution. Perhaps because the mid/late 1910's was a time of reaction and fear of communism, anarchism and the Bolsheviks, a staff with a laurel wreath was used."
I'll keep my eye out for some real artistic criticism. Since the replica was built during The Great War, I'm tempted to believe the staff was another salute to France.
striatic 53 months ago | reply
interesting political nature to the answer.
the history of revisionist history!
striatic 53 months ago | reply
This image has been used in the indicommons.org post: Interview: Shelley Bernstein, Chief of Technology, Brooklyn Museum
Rob LaRosa (Roaming Vegas) 52 months ago | reply
Your grandfather may be posing in front of a replica that stands in Chicago's Jackson park to this day. The original Statue of the Republic was more than 60 feet tall and was destroyed after the fair. A 1/3 replica was placed in Jackson Park in 1918. This is probably the statue your grandfather posed in front of. (Look at the scale.)
However, I notice that the statue's right hand is missing the eagle that sits upon the sphere. The staff in the left had is different from the original, but that is by design. According to hydepark.org, "The original had the left hand holding a lance decorated with laurel leaves and a Phrygian Cap representing the French Revolution. Perhaps because the mid/late 1910's was a time of reaction and fear of communism, anarchism and the Bolsheviks, a staff with a laurel wreath was used."
Here is a photo I took recently of the replica that stands in Jackson park.
supersunny2009 50 months ago | reply
Yes that is the replica of the origional statue in your grand pa's photo. I am not certain but it seems that the replica was placed at the opposite end of the reflecting pond to where the origional statue was position... I have visited this statue many times,..it is located at the park just south of the Museum of Science and Industry (the remaining origional building of the world's fair of 1893). It seems that the replica statue faces east where the origional statue faces west (from what old photos show). I may be wrong on that. The origional statue was enormous. It is too bad that the buildings of the fair were lost as they were not permanent structures. The largest building was around 26 acres (or maybe 13...I get my facts confused at times). Far behind the replica statue is the University of Chicago campus, where there are two additional intersting statues. One is the statue commemerating the first controlled "splitting of the atom" by Fermi and the other is called the "Staute of Time"...I believe...that was featured on some movie.
Umit Ucar 38 months ago | reply
Nice follow up.
Craig Newsom 35 months ago | reply
Satellite view:
maps.google.com/maps?q=hyde+park+chicago&ie=UTF8&...