''J.S.T. Stranahan'' is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

statue in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

's Prospect Park in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Designed by

Frederick William MacMonnies Frederick William MacMonnies (September 28, 1863 – March 22, 1937) was the best known expatriate American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school, as successful and lauded in France as he was in the United States. He was also a highly accomplishe ...

and erected in 1891 near the park's entrance at

Grand Army Plaza Grand Army Plaza, originally known as Prospect Park Plaza, is a public plaza that comprises the northern corner and the main entrance of Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. ...

, it honors

James S. T. Stranahan James Samuel Thomas Stranahan (April 25, 1808 – September 3, 1898) was a United States Representative from New York, and a municipal official of the City of Brooklyn. Early years Born in Peterboro, Madison County, New York, to Samuel Stran ...

, a businessman from Brooklyn who served on the city's park commission and was instrumental in Prospect Park's creation. The statue is considered one of MacMonnies' finest works and was praised for its realism. An inscription on the pedestal of the statue includes the Latin phrase LECTOR SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS CIRCUMSPICE ("Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you") which also marks the tomb of

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

History

James S. T. Stranahan was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

and parks commissioner from

who championed the creation of Prospect Park, which was completed in 1873 during his tenure as commissioner. The idea of erecting a

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

of Stranahan was first presented by

Richard Salter Storrs Richard Salter Storrs (August 21, 1821 – June 7, 1900) was an American Congregational clergyman. Biography Storrs was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He bore the same name as his grandfather (1763–1819), pastor at Longmeadow, Massachusetts ...

in 1888 during a dinner held in Stranahan's honor. Fundraising efforts started shortly thereafter, and after enough money had been raised, sculptor

was commissioned to design the statue. The statue would be MacMonnies's first commission in either Brooklyn or New York City. The statue was

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

at the

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

of E. Gruet around 1891 and dedicated on June 6 of that year. MacMonnies's statue stood atop a

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ci ...

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

. The dedication was attended by Stranahan himself and, when offered to unveil the statue, he turned down the offer and instead allowed MacMonnies the honor. Storrs gave the

oration Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

at the dedication. The statue has stood in Prospect Park since its unveiling.

Design

The

statue stands atop a pedestal consisting of Knoxville marble and

pink granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergrou ...

and is located near the park entrance at the intersection of

Flatbush Avenue Flatbush Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn. It runs from the Manhattan Bridge south-southeastward to Jamaica Bay, where it joins the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to the Ro ...

and East Drive. The pedestal stands atop four receding steps. Stranahan, dressed in normal attire for the era including a

bow tie The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that th ...

frock coat A frock coat is a formal men's coat characterised by a knee-length skirt cut all around the base just above the knee, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods (1830s–1910s). It is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at th ...

, and

waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. I ...

, stands with his left foot forward, with his right arm holding a

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally m ...

by his side and a

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

and topcoat in his left. The following inscription is carved into the front of the pedestal: "JAMES S. T. / STRANAHAN / A CITIZEN OF BROOKLYN / HONORED FOR MANY / NOBLE SERVICES MOST / GRATEFULLY AS CHIEF / FOUNDER OF / PROSPECT PARK / 1891 ��LECTOR SI / MONUMENTUM / REQUIRIS / CIRCUMSPICE ��STRANAHAN". (The Latin phrase translates to "Reader, if you seek my monument, look about you" and was taken from the tomb of

, architect of

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...

.) Additionally, the rear of the pedestal reads "ERECTED BY HIS / FELLOW CITIZENS / DURING HIS LIFETIME / AND UNVEILED IN HIS PRESENCE JUNE VI – MDCCCXCI". Near the base of the statue on its rear are the foundry marks. The statue has a height of , while the pedestal is tall. The statue's base is a square, while the base of the pedestal measures by . The square base underneath the pedestal has sides measuring and the combined base and pedestal have a height of . In addition to the statue, an informational panel on Stranahan is located inside the park's Picnic House.

Analysis

Speaking of the statue in a 2008 book on monuments in Brooklyn, academic

Elmer Sprague Elmer Sprague (1924 – April 19, 2019) was a professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, where he taught philosophy for 44 years. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Nebraska, and a B.A. and D.Phil. from Oxford. He wa ...

noted that " portraying him without a cloak, MacMonnies set a new style for post-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

civilian statues in America". A 1917 art guide to New York City stated that " e Stranahan statue epitomizes the movement fathered by these pioneers in their stand against the neo-classic, and as such its importance as a veritable contribution to the sum total of knowledge in the art of sculpture cannot be overestimated". A 1906 article in ''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Weekly'', later known as ''Munsey's Magazine'', was a 36-page quarto United States, American magazine founded by Frank Munsey, Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs. Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the pe ...

'' discussing MacMonnies's works calls the Stranahan and Hale statues as " e most successful of isportrait statues", claiming that the Stranahan statue "merits even more consideration than that of Hale". A 1902 review in the magazine ''Brush and Pencil'' said the following regarding the statue: "About the Stranahan statue, there has scarcely been a dissenting voice among critics as to its merit. It is one of the noblest works executed by an American sculptor. The realism of every-day costume in no way detracts from its beauty and impressiveness. The figure is firmly planted on its feet, and both pose and countenance convey the character of the man commemorated." Contemporary American sculptor

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for decad ...

gave the statue high marks in a review, among other things citing the successful execution of the subject's costume, especially his silk hat. Regarding the realism of the statue, Taft gave the following: "Nothing truer has been done in our day. While there is a sculptural bigness in the arrangement as a whole and an unconventional freedom throughout, one is struck above all with the incisive characterization; the personality of the man is the first and last impression. You forget everything else. He is real. He is alive." In late 1891, MacMonnies would win a second place medal at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

for his works on both this statue and his statue of Nathan Hale. At the time, second place was the highest award that could be bestowed to non-French citizens, and MacMonnies's victory was the first time an American had won the award.

References

External links

* {{Public art in Brooklyn 1891 establishments in New York (state) 1891 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Brooklyn Monuments and memorials in Brooklyn Outdoor sculptures in Brooklyn Prospect Park (Brooklyn) Sculptures by Frederick William MacMonnies Sculptures of men in New York City Statues in New York City

History

Design

Analysis

See also

References

External links