''Frederick Keep Monument'' is a public artwork by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

artist James Earle Fraser, located at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stree ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. "Frederick Keep Monument" was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

survey in 1993. This sculpture rests at the site of the grave of Frederick and Florence Keep and their child.

Description

The main portion of this sculpture features a bronze female and male couple standing on a low rectangular base. The female raises both of her arms with her proper right and left hands resting on their respective shoulders. The male figure stands closely on her proper left side with his proper right arm behind her. Both of the figures are bare chested and wear loosely draped Roman-style drapery that is rolled at the waist, as well as Roman

sandals Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can some ...

. The female figure has a cape on over the back of her head and she looks downward. The male figure gazes out to the distance. They stand in front of a narrow granite wall. The lower right side of the sculpture is signed: J. E. FRASER The lower left side of the sculpture is marked: Kunst-Foundry N.Y. The back of the granite base is inscribed: FREDERIC A. KEEP :DIED JUNE 2, 1911 :AGE 53 YEARS :FLORENCE SHEFFIELD BOARDMAN KEEP :DIED JAN 26, 1954 :AGE 89 YEARS :INFANT OF F AND F. KEEP :DIED OCT. 6, 1902 File:JEFraser FredericKeepMonument.jpg, Front File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 Frontb.jpg, Front File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 FemaleDetail.jpg, Detail File:Frederick Keep Monument by James Earle Fraser (1920) Control IAS 77003151 maledetail.jpg, Detail

Artist

Acquisition

The sculpture was installed just before or on October 3, 1920.

Information

Frederick Keep was a prominent Washington business man. His wife, Florence, was the sister of

Mabel Thorp Boardman Mabel Thorp Boardman (October 12, 1860 – March 17, 1946) was an American philanthropist involved with the American Red Cross. She led the Red Cross in the United States following its receiving congressional charter in 1905 until World War I ...

, one of the founders of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, and American

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

Josephine Porter Boardman Josephine Porter Crane ('' née'' Josephine Porter Boardman) (November 14, 1873 – July 8, 1972) was an American socialite and patron of the arts, co-founder and original trustee of the Museum of Modern Art and supporter of the Dalton School of N ...

. Her father, William J. Boardman, a lawyer and philanthropist who died August 2, 1915, is also buried in Rock Creek Cemetery. She traveled frequently (often with her sister Josephine) to places such as

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Florence was quite the socialite running in circles with the likes of Secretary of State

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was Un ...

, Agnes Meyer,

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...

Ruth Draper Ruth Draper (December 2, 1884December 30, 1956) was an American actress, dramatist and noted diseuse who specialized in character-driven monologues and monodrama. Her best-known pieces include ''The Italian Lesson'', ''Three Women and Mr. Cliff ...

, and President & Mrs. Taft.Graham, Katharine. ''Katharine Graham's Washington''. Random House, 2009.Draper, Ruth. ''The letters of Ruth Draper: self-portrait of an actress, 1920-1956''. SIU Press, 1999, p 38. A number of Florence Keep's personal belongings were donated to the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

by her sister Josephine, including a late 1920s evening dress that was exhibited in the ''Hall of American Costume'' from 1964-1973.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and it was described as needing treatment urgently.

References

Sources

*James M. Goode, ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.'', Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, , p. 343 {{James Earle Fraser Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery 1920 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C. Works by James Earle Fraser (sculptor) Cemetery art