Statues - Hither & Thither

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Strand (WC2)
(St Clement Danes)

Samuel Johnson

Lichfield 1709 - London 1784
English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer
(Wikipedia)

Percy Fitzgerald
1910

Description

Bronze statue of Johnson, in traditional costume, and full-bottomed wig. Hisright arm is raised, while his left supports an open volume. At his feet are other books, an inkstand, etc. On the pedestal are three bronze reliefs:

front: BOSWELL
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (Edinburgh 1740 - London 1795), lawyer, diarist, and author; best known for the biography he wrote of the English literary figure Samuel Johnson, which the modern Johnsonian critic Harold Bloom has claimed is the greatest biography written in the English language (Wikipedia).
left: - Mrs. THRALE - Johnson with Mrs Thrale.
Hester Lynch Thrale (born Hester Lynch Salusbury and after her second marriage, Hester Lynch Piozzi) (Bodvel Hall, Caernarvonshire, 1741 - Bristol 1821) British diarist, author, and patron of the arts. (Wikipedia).
right: Johnson with Boswell in the Highlands

London - Samuel Johnson
1
2
3

Inscription(s)

SAMUEL JOHNSON
l.l.d.
critic, essayist, philologist
biographer, wit, poet, moralist
dramatist, political writer, talker

[portrait]
born 1709 - died 1784.

the gift and handiwork of
PERCY FITZGERALD, F.S.A.
and erected by
The Revd. S. PENNINGTON, M.A.
rector of st. clement danes
1910

Annotation

The statue is placed close to St Clement Dane's church, the one that Johnson attended. Reverend Pennington, the rector at St Clements, was the donor of the statue. He died just as the statue was ready so it was thought appropriate to unveil the work as the body was conveyed into the church for the lying in state. Fitzgerald, the sculptor, modelled the face on the portrait by Reynolds and Nolleken's bust. Fitzgerald also unveiled the statue on 4 August 1910, when the death of Edward VII caused the planned royal unveiling by his daughter, Princess Louise, to be cancelled.

Sculptor

Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald (Fane Valley, Co. Louth 1834 - 1925) Anglo-Irish author and critic, painter and sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, List of public art in the City of Westminster.
Bob Speel, London sculpture.
George L. Gomme, Return of outdoor memorials in London (London: City Council, 1910) (through Internet Archive).
John Blackwood, London's Immortals: The Complete Outdoor Commemorative Statues (London: Savoy, 1989), p. 134-135.
Andrew Kershman, London's Monuments (London: Metro Publ., 2013), p. 168.
Peter Matthews, London's Statues and Monuments (Botley: Shire, 2012), p. 62-63.

Locatie (N 51°30'47" - W 0°6'48") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gblo080; Photograph: 4 August 2014
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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