''John Ericsson'' is a Heroic-Scale bronze statue depicting
John Ericsson
John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States.
Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which co ...
, and is located in
Battery Park
The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. It is bounded by Battery Place on the north, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
History
The statue depicts the esteemed Swedish-American engineer and inventor John Ericsson (1803–1889), who helped to revolutionize military-maritime technology with his ironclad warship, the
USS Monitor.
Less than four years after Ericsson's death, sculptor
Jonathan Scott Hartley (1845–1912) was commissioned by the state of New York to create a larger-than-life bronze portrait of Ericsson, which was dedicated April 26, 1893 in Battery Park. The pedestal was designed by architect Frank Wallis; Hartley and Wallis also collaborated on the
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Memorial, unveiled in
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...
in 1906. Ten years later the sculptor, dissatisfied with his first version, crafted a modified statue, cast at the local Roman Bronze Works, and dedicated on August 1, 1903, a day after the centennial of Ericsson’s birth.
The modified statue predates the
John Ericsson Memorial in
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, ...
by 13 years.
The statue is located on the perimeter of Battery Park, on State Street, across from Bridge Street. Over time the monument suffered extensive damage, the result of weathering, vandalism, and even a fire. In 1996 the sculpture was conserved by Parks’ monuments crew, and as part of overall improvements to Battery Park, the sculpture is slated to be moved from its present location to a more prominent site near a perimeter entrance.
Physical Description
The figure (heroic scale) depicts Ericsson standing, holding a boat model in his hand. The bronze figure is 8'7"(2.6m) tall, atop a 7'11"(2.4) polished black diamond granite pedestal. Each side of the pedestal has bronze plaques with dimensions of 1'x2'3.5"(0.3mx0.7m) that illustrate significant naval battles involving the Monitor and Princeton, as well as an array of Ericsson’s mechanical inventions. The right side of the plinth is signed by the sculptor, and reads "J.S. Hartley 1902".
On the front of the pedestal the name "Ericsson" is engraved. On the back of the pedestal, it reads:
"The City of New York
Erects this statue to the
memory of a citizen whose
genius has contributed
to the greatness of the
republic and the progress
of the world.
-
April 26, 1893
-
On July 31 1803 John Ericsson was
Born in
Långbanshyttan Sweden Died in New York March 8 1889"
References
{{reflist
Statues in New York City