The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-11
WASHINGTON IN BRONZE
Pin TO Purchase a Cast of HOE-
dOn's Marble Statue.
The Image of the Father of His
Country Which stands in Stntnnry
HnII to BE Replaced by One Nodded
of MetnI-Iiistory of the Original
in the State House mt Richmond.

/
| in the state House Mt Richmond
bronze portrait statue of George
| Washington, the original of which is the
| celebrated Houdon marble statue, which
has stood in the quadrangle of the State
| House in Richmond since 1896 WILL 1t Is
exceedingly probable, be placed either in
Statuary Hall in the Capitol or in the
Library of Congress before another year
shall have passed. The plaster cast oil
| Washington which is now in Statuary Hal
| is frail and is said by artists to be un-
worthy its subject. All the surrounding
statues are of marble or bronze.
The impression from reading the in
| scription on the pedestal that the plaster
statue is a gift of the State of Virginia,
| ii is said, is a mistake. The inscription
! is copied literally from that on the ped
estal of the Houdon statue in the Virginia
| State House. Half century ago Con-
gressionaI commission was sent to Rich
| mond to negotiate with W. ]. Hubbard for
| one of his copies of the Houdon statue,
and plaster copy was taken instead OF
bronze because the price of the former
was 81 coo and of the latter 100000
During the late session of Congress a
bill for the purchase Of a bronze statue
OF Washington was introduced. and two
days before adjourn ment was reported
from the House Committee on the LII
brary. No opposition to the expenditure
of the money needed. ts11.500) for the pur-
pose indicated was developed. The bronze
which it is proposed to buy is now in the
Art Museum at Cincinnati.
In 1854. the year following the close OF
the American Revolutionary War, the
State of Virginia decreed a statue to
Washington This was fifteen years prior
to his death. Thomas Jefferson was in
Paris, and he was authorized to secure an
artist and arrange for a statue Ito be OF
the finest marble and best workmanship
air. Jefferson who was connoisseEr IN
art, in q letter TO General Washington
under date OF Paris. July I, 11S5, wrote:
MIR. HoudUn comes TO lend the AID Oh
his art to transmit you TO p0sterity. He Is
without rivalship in his art. being employ
ed in all parts of Europe"
According to the decree OF the State OF
Virginia. the demand 20 be realized by the
artist was a precise imitation oil nature
with mathematical eNactitude. To enable
the artist Houdon TO accomplish this, 1t
was arranged that he should come TO
America and he made the westward cross
ing Of the ocean in company WITH Ben
jamin Franklin. Washington invited Hou-
don and his assistants to Mount Vernon
He arrived there October 2, 1855. and re-
NAMED with Washington fortnight. dur
ing which time he took a oest OF his face,
head, and upper part, Of his body. and min
ute measurements OF his person, and 1t
is said, acquired that intimate knowledge
Of his subject which his mission demand
ed.
In passing it may be stated that Hou-
don was to receive rs compensation Zo,-
600 livres. the expense of his trip to Amer
lea with his assistants. and his life during
his absence from France. was to be in
sured for 10000 .liyres. He was reluctant
to come, Mr.. Jefferson conceding that the
compensation was inadequate. But he
came mainly It Is said because there was
supplementary object in view Congress
in 1888, had voted an equestrian statue to
Washington, and II was the hope of obtain
ing this order which finally induced Hou-
don TO come to the new world. In that
day equestrian statues were enormously
expensive. the average price being s25O,0cO.
However, for some reason not clear now,
tElS statue was never tAtNuLtuh
Houdon had three years within which
to complete the statue. ard it was ready
for delivery in 11ss, but it was not sent
to Virginia till 1896. the time OF the COM
pletion of the State house. That was three
years before the death of Washington. AS
4 help to Mr. Houdon. in addition to the
casts and measurements obtained by him,
Governor Harrison of Virginia had Charles
Wilson Peal paint for him full length
picture OF Washington. This had been lost
sight of. 1t is recorded that Lafayette
and Chief Justice Marshall commended the
statue as nearly a likeness of Washing
ton as might be obtained in marble
Ii was quite a state question how this
statue should be dressed and in the COM
mon sense of the hour it was determined
to clothe it in the customary garb OF the
American citizen, and not like Greenough's
Roman Washington. which vas subse-
Guently placed in the Capitol grounds at
a cost of 100000
Washington was consulted in the matter
of the costume and TO Mr.. Jefferson he
wrote as follows:
Il shall be perfectly satisfied with what
ever may be judged decent and proper. 1
should even scarcely have ventured to sus-
gest that perhaps 4 servile adherence tv
the garb of antiquity might not be alto
gether so expedient as some little devia-
ton in favor OF the modern costume. II
| had not heard from Colonel Humphreys
that this was a circumstance limited in
conversation by Mr.. West to Mr.. Houdon."
The reply of Mr.. Jefferson follows:
81 was happy to find that the modern
dress for your statue meets your approba-
tion. / found it strongly the sentiment OF
West Copely, Trumbull. and Brown. in
London, after which it would be ridiculous
to add that 1t was my own. l think
modern in an antique dress as just an OBJ
ject of ridicule as a Hercules or Narius
with periwig and chapeau bras"
The symbols OF the Houdon statue are
of interest. The erect column Of thirteen
rods. one for each of the original States.
has Washington's cloak thrown over it
and his left hand rests upon it, while the
column itself stands upon the moldboard
of n plow The sword hangs on this COL
umn. The plow supporting the column
means not only that Washington was
farmer, but that agriculture is the great
source of national strength. The epau-
lettes are reminders of the services OF
woshiugton aS Commander-in-Ch Chief of