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Library of Congress, Jefferson Building
(Main Reading Room)

Christopher Columbus in the Library of Congress

Paul Wayland Bartlett
Henry Bonnard Bronze Co. (New York)
1897

Description

Bronze statue. Columbus stands gazing into the distance with his left hand grasping a set of maps while his right hand is open in supplication.

Annotation

Sixteen bronze statues set along the balustrade of the galleries of the main reading room of the Library of Congress (Jefferson building) represent men renowned for their accomplishments in several categories of knowledge and activity. The subjects were chosen by Ainsworth Rand Spofford, Librarian of Congress 1864-1897. The statues are paired, each pair flanking one of the eight giant marble columns. Commerce is represented by Columbus and Fulton.
Cast by Henry Bonnard Bronze Co. in New York.

Sculptor

Paul Wayland Bartlett (New Haven, Conn., 1865 - ... 1925), American sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

On These Walls: Inscriptions and Quotations in the Buildings of the Library of Congress
Smithsonian American Art Museum, SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information system).

Locatie (N 38°53'19" - W 77°0'16") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: usdc03; Photograph: 12 October 2000

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