The Francis Scott Key Monument is an outdoor sculpture to
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...
in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
History
Charles Marburg gave $25,000 to his brother
Theodore Marburg
Theodore Marburg Sr. (July 10, 1862 – March 4, 1946) was an American jurist, diplomat and internationalist.
Biography
He was born on July 10, 1862 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the United States Minister to Belgium from 1912 to 1914. He was t ...
to hire a sculptor to create a monument to
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...
. The French sculptor
Antonin Mercié was selected. Mercié had previously created a bronze
equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee in 1890 in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
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, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
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, pushpin_label = Richmond
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.
The sculpture was dedicated on Eutaw Place in 1911.
The sculpture was restored and rededicated on September 11, 1999.
[
The statue was defaced with the words "Racist Anthem", and covered in red paint in September of 2017. The city quickly restored the monument, and it now sits behind chain link fencing.
]
Gallery
File:Key 5643438604 2072b935c8 o.jpg, Monument circa 1910
File:Key monument baltimore 4a24914a.tif, Monument circa 1920
File:Key Monument with Flag.JPG, Figure of Columbia with the American Flag
File:Statue marked with spray paint graffiti and splashed red paint, Francis Scott Key Monument (1911, Marius Jean Antonin Mercié), W. Lafayette Avenue and Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217 (37035175462).jpg, Monument defaced in 2017
See also
*List of public art in Baltimore
This list of public art in Baltimore provides an introduction to public art which is accessible in an outdoor public space in Baltimore. Because the collection of public art is extensive and continues to grow, the list is incomplete. A fuller ...
*'' Orpheus with the Awkward Foot''
*The works of Antonin Mercié
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
References
{{reflist
1911 sculptures
Outdoor sculptures in Baltimore
Vandalized works of art in Maryland
Monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...