Statue of the Republic

Coordinates: 41°46′46.6″N 87°34′47.7″W / 41.779611°N 87.579917°W

Statue of the Republic
A one-third scale replica of Daniel Chester French's Republic, which stood in the great basin at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Artist Daniel Chester French
Year 1918 (replica of 1893 original)
Type Bronze
Location Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois

The Statue of the Republic is a 24-foot-high (7.3 m) gilded bronze sculpture in Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois. This smaller-scale replica of the original statue was constructed in 1918 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the Illinois statehood centennial.[1] The statue was funded by the Benjamin Ferguson Fund,[2] which commissioned Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the original 65-foot-tall (20 m) statue that stood on the grounds of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, to sculpt this replica. Henry Bacon, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial, designed the pedestal for the replica statue.[3]

Daniel Chester French's original statue The Republic at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago

The original 65-foot statue, constructed in 1893, stood in front of the Court of Honor at the World's Columbian Exposition.[1] However, in 1896 the statue succumbed to a fire, destroying it.[4] The current statue stands on the site of the Exposition's famous Electricity Building.

The statue is widely known in Chicago by the colloquial name of the "Golden Lady."[5] It was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 4, 2003.[1]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Statue of The Republic". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. 2006-03-15. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  2. ↑ Hermann, Andrew (1991-08-09). "Public statues are lumberman's legacy to city". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  3. ↑ Ira J. Bach and Mary Lackritz Gray, A Guide to Chicago's Public Sculpture, Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983
  4. ↑ "Daniel Chester French-The Republic". Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  5. ↑ "Jackson Park". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 2012-04-18.