Evening Star Newspaper, December 14, 1930, Page 94

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 14, 1930. Sixty-Seven-Year Reign of “Freedom” Here’s the Story of the Much-Maligned Surmounts the Dome of the United Art by Thomas Craw ford, Outstand- Genius Now Is Universally Recog- BY MYRTA ETHEL CAWOOD. HE eolossal seven-ton bronze Statue of Freedom which crowns the dome of the United States Capitol was un- veiled December 3, 1863—867 years ago. The goddess did not, however, settle down to life en her lofty shrine until she had experienced many precarious adventures. Like most women, her first—and last—troubles arose over what she should wear, and somewhere in the controversy over the original model Miss Freedom lost her classic liberty cap and part of the stars in her crown—four to be exact. The sculptor died b2fore the statue was fituuy completed, and the ill-fated vessel that bore the plaster model from Italy was shipwrecked and sbandoned. After many months the sections of the model arrived one by one in Washington. But the perilous voyage did not end the statue's difficulties. A clever Italian artist in Washing- ton, whe put the sections of the model together for exhibition, compietely hid all the joints and screws with plaster. When the founder was ready to cast the statue the workman stead- fastly refused to take it apart except upon his own terms. The merry Congressmen are said to have swapped jibes about the “monstrous goddess,” and seme of the more austere lawmakers even deemed goddesses inferior and advocated nothing less than a god for the crowning glory of the dome of the United States Capitol. After the statue was cast in bronze she stood, like a dereliet, in the corner of the Capitol grounds for many long months before she was finally elevated to her predestined pinnacle; even after that there was a movement in Congress to0 have the “terrible plumage” shorn from her helmet. CRAWFORD, an outstanding ‘" American sculptor, had been commissioned about 1853 to model a statue to adorn the dome Thomas Crawford, sculptor of the God- dess of Freedom. Marble bust by Tom- maso Gagliardi in the Senate wing of the Capitol. of the Capitol. He immediately went to Rome to execute the design and in a short time he sent two photographs of proposed models to the Secretary of War, Jefierson Davis, for his approval. The Secretary was profoundly im- pressed by the grace and power of one of the models, but he did not like the liberty cap, which was emblematic of emancipated slaves— Americans are free-born. He also objected to the bundle of rods which the artist had em- ployed to suggest the functions of the Roman lictor. Secretary Davis feared the symbolism might be lost on future generations, The artist then abandoned the rods and changed the headdress to a helmet crested with an eagle’s head and a sheaf of feathers sug- gested by the costume of the American Indians. When the head was remodeled only nine stars remained in the coronet. The first design had 13, one for each of the original American colonies. Crawford, himself, once said of American art, “The darkness of allegory must give way to common sense . . . and the dignity of sculpture may well be devoted to the perpetuation of what the people love and understand.” Many 2 Seven-Ton Goddess of Freedom W hich States Capitol—A Colossal Work of ing American Sculptor, Whose nized. ?!Aav ¥ Profile view of the Statue of Freedom surmounting the dome of she United States Capitol, showing the feathered helmet. people, however, fail to understand Crawford’s Statue of Preedom with its inconsistent Indian headdress, fringed Grecian robe and circle of stars on the brow. It would be difficult to classify this statue in the realms of art, for it is neither ancient nor modern, classic nor Ameri- can. Thomas Crawford was a sculptor of marked ability and tremendous energy. Besides the Statue of Freedom he was granted commissions for the bronze doors of the Senate and House wings of the Capitol and also the Senate pedi- ment. He did not live to see any of this work entirely completed. He was born March 22, 1814, in New York State and was the father of F. Marion Crawford, the novelist. The artist received $3,000 for designing the statue for the dome of the Capitol, which he referred to as “The Statue of America” and sometimes as “Armed Liberty.” He wrote the United States Government from Paris April 1, 1857, requesting the authority to have the statuary cast under his personal supervision at the Royal Bavarian Foundry at Munich, then the most famous foundry in the world. But his aspiration was never fulfilled, for the artist died four months later on September 10, 1857, in London. After Crawford’s death his wife undertook to complete his contracts. On April 19, 1858, the plaster model of the Statue of Freedom was loaded on the bark Emily at Leghorn, Italy, and started its voyage to the United States. Three days from port the vessel sprung a leak, which persisted for 30 days, then the ship docked at Gibraltar for repairs. On June 26 she set sail again for New York. But the sea was stormy and the weather rough and in four days the ship was leaking again. The sailors wrestled with the leak for 12 days, then they began to throw the cargo overboard, 48 cases of citron and 250 bales of rags were sacrificed before they finally reached Bermuda, with the bark Emily making water at the rate of 16 inches an hour. At Bermuda the vessel was condemned and the precious statuary for the United States Capitol was stored on the island for several months. The sections of the model were ship- ped to America piecemeal on various boats, and the last of the statuary finally arrived in Wash- ington about a year after it had started across the stormy Atlantic from Italy. Amos‘rnxyennhadmehpoeddneeme commission for the statue had been given, four years had passed since the design had been executed, and many more years were fated to pass before the figure was finally cast into bronze and placed into position. The Republic was in a troubled condition, Civil War seemed imminent, and work on the Capitol was suspended. When the plaster model of Freedom finally reached its destination it was put together by a talented Italian artist, who worked intermit- tently about the Capitol, and set upon a wooden pedestal, for exhibition purposes, in the old House of Representatives—now Statuary Hall. Thus in the range of ordinary vision it fur- nished a perpetual topic for conversation and it was likened to Daniel’s Biblical description of the fearful dream of the tyrant Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet said, “Thou, O King, sawest a great image whose brightness was excellent, and the form thereof was terrible.” This monstrous statue is indeed a “great image"—19% feet high—whose earnest, staring eyes, wide nostrils and open lips seem to be brooding over profound secrets. Her long, graceful drapery is heavily fringed and held in place at the breast by a brooch monogrammed U. 8. She wears the famous helmet with an eagle’'s head and a horizontal sheaf of eathers on the crest. The helmet fits closely her long curls, which fall to the waist. On forehead is the circlet of nine stars which erson Davis said indicated her endless existence and heavenly birth. The goddess. carries an olive wreath, indi- cating peace, in her left hand, which rests on a shield. In her right hand is a sheathed sword indicating that war is over, but she is ever ready to fight if necessary. Despite the fact that the official name of the goddess is the Statue of Freedom, she is often called the Greek Goddess because of her long, flowing robes, and the Indian Goddess because of the feathered helmet, and the Goddess of Liberty for no apparent reason at all. After being stared at for two years in the House of Representatives the plaster statue was removed to the Crypt, much to the regret of the public.. The Crypt is the room under the Rotunda, which was originally designed for the tomb of Washington. Many years later Craw- ford's plaster model was moved to the Smith- sonian Institution in Washington, where it now occupies the central position on the main floor. As has been previously stated the several large sections of the model were so cleverly assembled by the cunning Italian that the joints and bolts were completely hidden with plaster. At last, however, the time came to cast the statuary in bronze, and the artist em- phatically refused to take it apart except upon his own conditions, which were an exorbitant sum of money and a contract for art work on the Capitol for a prolonged period of years. His demands were refused. But what was to be done? The Italian alone knew where the bolts were hidden and any one ignorant of the joinings would be likely to ruin the model in the attempt to disconnect the sections. The commission to cast the statuary in bronze had been given to Clark Mills, whose foundry was about three miles from Washing- ton on the Bladensburg road. The founder owned a very intelligent mulatto slave named Philip Reed. With a pulley and tackle con- trivance Philip undertook to take the model apart. He first inserted the pulley into an iron eye affixed to the head of the figure, then he gently strained the rope until joint by joint became visible. The inside bolts were then located, scraped of plaster and carefully re- moved. s Thus the model was again reduced to sections and made ready for the foundry. Soon after the casting was started the Civil War was de- clared and all such work was ordered suspended, but the casting activities must have been re- sumed a few months later, for it is believed- that the cast was completed some time in 1861 or 1862. In the Summer of 1861 the Capitol was used as a hospital, and the western part of the old building was turned into a bakery for the soldiers. The Crypt was stored with flour. In the Fall, however, before Congress met, the 1,500 hospital beds and the baking parapher- nalia were moved out to make ready for Congress, TN this agonizing period of our history little thought was given to statues. But despite the thunder of war Clark Mills worked pains- takingly and sometimes without the promise of pay until he produced a perfect bronze cast of the statue. It is truly an all-American work of art; before this time the most important casts were made in Europe. The completed statue won immediate favor with a great many people, and it is still thought to be the greatest work of art ever designed for such a lofty position, The heroic bronze figure was hauled to the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, where it remained many months before it was finally placed upon the lofty tholus of the building. The figure was then oxidated by an acid solution, which gave the bionze a rich, uniform tint that has remained unchanged to +the present time. Mere oxidation, however. was & keen disappointment to the clatue’s admirers, who advocated nothing less than gilt for their favorite. Clark Mills, the foundear of this famous statue, was an American sculptor of considerable prome inence during the middle of the last century. His statue of Jackson in Lafayette Park in Washington was the first equestrian statue erected in this country. He also executed the equestrian statue of Washingion at Twentye third street and Pennsyivania avenue. Millg was born in the State of New York in 1816 of poor parents. While working as a plasterer in Charleston, S. C.,, he began modeling without instruction. His first marble statve was a bust of Calhoun, for which he was awarded a gold medal. R The great Statue of Fresdom might have been a work of art to the public, but to the workmen employed on the Capitol it was just 15,000 pounds of bronze to hoist up the 287 feet of the great cast-iron dome of the building. The elevating process presented great difficulties and care in handling. Sometimes the statuary pro- gressed upward only a few feet a day. However, after almoet two weeks Miss Freedom was finally placed upon her dome-pedestal, where she has stood for more than half a century, her Continued on Seventh Page Model of the bronze staiue of Freedoms on the dome of the Capitod.