Collage of historical images and cartoons of the American Civil War

Visual Culture of the American Civil WarA Special Feature of Picturing US History

Farragut Memorial, Madison Square, New York City

Unveiled in 1881, the monument to Union Admiral David Glasgow Farragut was sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s first major public commission and his first collaboration with architect Stanford White. It is one of the first monuments to consciously integrate location, landscaping, and architectural features (including benches, pedestals, and inscriptions) into a cohesive whole. In addition, the depiction of Admiral Farragut (a former Virginian who moved north to support the Union and went on to capture New Orleans and defeat the Confederate fleet in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay) places him in a realistic pose as if on the windy bridge of a ship, wearing an authentic naval uniform. He is standing atop a stone wall with two bas-relief figures representing loyalty and courage. The monument was unveiled in New York City’s Madison Square Park on Memorial Day in 1881 and received high praise in the press.Unveiled in 1881, the monument to Union Admiral David Glasgow Farragut was sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s first major public commission and his first collaboration with architect Stanford White. It is one of the first monuments to consciously integrate location, landscaping, and architectural features (including benches, pedestals, and inscriptions) into a cohesive whole. In addition, the depiction of Admiral Farragut (a former Virginian who moved north to support the Union and went on to capture New Orleans and defeat the Confederate fleet in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay) places him in a realistic pose as if on the windy bridge of a ship, wearing an authentic naval uniform. He is standing atop a stone wall with two bas-relief figures representing loyalty and courage. The monument was unveiled in New York City’s Madison Square Park on Memorial Day in 1881 and received high praise in the press.

URL: http://ctmonuments.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/P1190613.JPG

Creator: Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Date: 1881