Andrew Jackson (Mills)
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''Andrew Jackson'' is a bronze
equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
by Clark Mills mounted on a white marble base in the center of Lafayette Square within
President's Park President's Park, located in Downtown Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House and includes the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, and grounds; the White House Visitor Center; Lafayette Square; and The Ellipse. Pr ...
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, ...
, just to the north of the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. Jackson is depicted dressed in military uniform, raising his hat with his right hand, while controlling the reins with his left hand as his horse rises on its rear legs.  


Description

The statue depicts
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
, the general who commanded US forces in the
Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...
on January 8, 1815, and who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. It was commissioned in May 1847, almost two years after Jackson's death at The Hermitage, his plantation near
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, by the Jackson Monument Committee chaired by
John Peter Van Ness Johannes Petrus "John Peter" Van Ness (November 4, 1769 – March 7, 1846) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1801 to 1803 and Mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1830 to 1834. Early life Van Nes ...
(who died before the statue was completed). Although Mills had never met Jackson and had also never seen an equestrian statue, his proposal won the commission ahead of
Hiram Powers Hiram Powers (July 29, 1805 – June 27, 1873) was an American neoclassical sculptor. He was one of the first 19th-century American artists to gain an international reputation, largely based on his famous marble sculpture ''The Greek Slave''. ...
and Robert Mills. Mills taught himself the technical skills to finalize the design and cast the statue. Jackson's horse at the
Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...
was named ''Duke''; but Mills modeled the horse from his own horse named ''Olympus''. Mills trained his horse to pose on its haunches. He also borrowed Jackson's uniform from the
U.S. Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
, where it was being preserved. He completed a plaster model, and he established a new bronze foundry to produce the casting at his studio on 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, south of the
Treasury Building A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in ...
. Mills produced six castings of the statue of Andrew Jackson until the final one was completed, with ten pieces, six for Jackson and four for the horse. In his casting, he was assisted by an enslaved apprentice, Phillip Reid, who also assisted Mills with other castings, including the 1860-1862 casting of the ''
Statue of Freedom The ''Statue of Freedom'', also known as ''Armed Freedom'' or simply ''Freedom'', is a bronze statue designed by Thomas Crawford (1814–1857) that, since 1863, has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Originally ...
'' designed by Thomas Crawford which sits atop the
United States Capitol dome The United States Capitol features a dome situated above its rotunda. The dome is in height and in diameter. Designed by Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, it was constructed between 1855 and 1866 at a cost of $1,047,291 (e ...
. The casting was completed 1852, making this the first equestrian statue made in the US, and also the first bronze statue cast in the US. It has been described as the first equestrian statue made with the horse rearing on two legs with no additional support – earlier equestrian bronzes, such as
Pietro Tacca Pietro Tacca (16 September 1577 – 26 October 1640) was an Italian sculptor, who was the chief pupil and follower of Giambologna. Tacca began in a Mannerist style and worked in the Baroque style during his maturity. Biography Born in Ca ...
's statue of Philip IV, and
Étienne Maurice Falconet Étienne Maurice Falconet (1 December 1716 – 24 January 1791) was a French baroque, rococo and Neoclassical sculpture, neoclassical sculptor, best-known for his equestrian statue of Peter the Great, the ''Bronze Horseman'' (1782), in St. Pete ...
's statue of Peter the Great, use the horse's tail as a third support. Tests in 1993 showed that the rear legs have central cores of iron covered with bronze, giving them additional strength and weight to support and counterbalance the suspended parts of the statue. The statue is about a third larger than life, and weighs about 15 tons. It was installed on a tapering rectangular marble base on a raised circular grassed area with railings on the alignment of the North Portico of the White House and
16th Street NW 16th Street Northwest is a prominent north–south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and ...
. The narrow face of the marble base, to the west, bears the inscriptions "JACKSON" and "OUR FEDERAL UNION / IT MUST BE PRESERVED", the latter added in 1909 and quoting a toast offered by Jackson at a
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
banquet in 1830 to celebrate the birthday of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
. The south face has the inscription "". The marble base is surrounded by four cannons that Jackson captured from the Spanish at
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
in 1818. The original intention has been to cast the statue itself using metal from captured cannons, but the tin content was too high. The metal barrels of the cannons initially rested on the grass for several years, before they were raised on new wooden
gun carriage A gun carriage is a frame and mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also used ...
s, subsequently replaced several times.


History

The statue was dedicated on January 8, 1853, the 38th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, with procession from
Judiciary Square Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between Pennsylvania Avenue to the sou ...
followed by an address delivered by Senator
Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
to a crowd of 20,000 people, including President Fillmore, Major General
Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
, members of his cabinet and of Congress, the monument committee, and the sculptor. Cannons from the US Army fired a salute. Mills reputedly quelled concerns about the stability of the statue by throwing himself against the raised front legs of the horse at the dedication: it did not move. Over time, the landscaping of the square has been simplified, and statues of figures from the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
have been added, one in each corner of the square, first a statue of the eponymous
Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
after whom the square is named erected in the south east corner in 1891, and then, working clockwise, a statue of Rochambeau in 1902, and then in 1910 statues of Von Steuben and Kościuszko. The view from the White House is now framed by the bronze Navy Yard Urns, cast in the
Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...
and based on the ancient
Medici Vase The Medici Vase is a monumental marble bell-shaped krater sculpted in Athens in the second half of the 1st century AD as a garden ornament for the Roman market. It is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Description Standing 1.52 metres ...
, each mounted on a marble plinth. The statue of Jackson faced a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson that had been installed on the White House North Lawn in 1847, until Jefferson's statue was returned to the Capitol in 1874. There have been proposals, particularly in the early 20th century, to move Jackson's statue and swap it with Mill's 1860 equestrian statue of George Washington in
Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inters ...
, to reunite Washington with the other the Revolutionary War generals in Lafayette Square, and give the statue of Andrew Jackson more space, but these proposals have been resisted on the grounds of the historical importance of the statue of Andrew Jackson and the desire to keep it in its original location. A crowd unsuccessfully attempted to topple the statue on June 22, 2020, during the
George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...
. Former U.S. Senator
Ben Nighthorse Campbell Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933) is an American Cheyenne politician who represented Colorado's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and as a United States Senator from Colorado f ...
, a Native American, defended the monument, advocating for it to remain and called for the addition of plaques to explain the complicated history of Jackson. Several days later, the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
(DOJ) charged four men with destruction of federal property for allegedly trying to bring down the statue. The Justice Department alleged that a video showed one of the men breaking off and destroying the wheels of the cannons located at the base of the statue as well as pulling on ropes when trying to bring down the statue. The Justice Department also alleged that a man videotaped trying to topple the Jackson statue had, a few days earlier, participated in the destruction of the 1901
Albert Pike Memorial The Albert Pike Memorial is a public artwork in Washington, D.C., erected in 1901 and partially demolished by protestors in 2020. It honors Albert Pike (1809–1891), a senior officer of the Confederate States Army as well as a poet, lawyer, a ...
statue near Washington's
Judiciary Square Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between Pennsylvania Avenue to the sou ...
. The statute was vandalized with the words "Expect Us" on
Indigenous Peoples' Day Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an ...
(also
Columbus day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. ...
), Monday, October 11, 2021. Protestors had been chanting "respect us or expect us" in response to protesting the
Line 3 pipeline The Line 3 pipeline is an oil pipeline owned by the Canadian multinational Enbridge. Operating since 1968, it runs from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin, United States. Concerns about the safety of the pipeline led Enbridge ...
in Minnesota that runs through lands owned by Indigenous tribes who are concerned that the pipeline could spill and ruin the land they use to farm.


Other castings

Mills made two other castings of the statue. One was dedicated in February 1856 in the former Place d'Armes in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, renamed Jackson Square. A second was dedicated on May 20, 1880, on the
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenne ...
grounds, in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, commissioned by the Tennessee Historical Society to celebrate to city's centennial . Mills attended both dedications: the one in Nashville was his last public event before his death in 1883. A fourth copy of the statue was erected in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
in 1987, near
Jacksonville Landing The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.Modern Art Foundry The Modern Art Foundry is an historic foundry in Astoria, Queens, New York, founded in 1932 by John Spring. His descendants continue to operate the business in what used to be the carriage house of the Steinway Mansion. Modern Art Foundry special ...
of
Long Island City, New York Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...
. File:Aerial view of Lafayette Park.jpg, The original statue stands at the center of Lafayette Square, just to the north of the White House File:Andrew Jackson statue DC.JPG, Statue in Washington, D.C. File:Jackson Square New Orleans.JPG, Statue in New Orleans, Louisiana File:Andrew Jackson Statue Nashville.jpg, Statue in Nashville, Tennessee File:Andrew Jackson statue in front of Jacksonville Landing.JPG, Statue in Jacksonville, Florida


See also

*
Statue of Andrew Jackson (U.S. Capitol) ''Andrew Jackson'' is a 1928 bronze sculpture of Andrew Jackson by Belle Kinney Scholz and Leopold Scholz, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues dona ...
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2 This is a list of public art in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C.. This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum. Most of the works mentioned ...


Notes


Further reading


''Equestrian Statue of General Andrew Jackson, Lafayette Park, Washington''
Issue 2 of ''President's Park notes: Statues'', National Park Service, 2001
Andrew Jackson Statue, Lafayette Square
The White House Historical Association
Four Salutes to the Nation: The Equestrian Statues of General Andrew Jackson
The White House Historical Association
''Images of America: Lafayette Square''
Lonnie J. Hovey, Arcadia Publishing, 2014, , p.14-16
Andrew Jackson Memorial
Histories of the National Mall
"A Toast to the Union"
Andrew S. Keck, ''Records of the Columbia Historical Society'', Washington, D.C. Vol. 71/72, pp. 289–313
Andrew Jackson Statue
DC Historic Sites
Clark Mills and the Jackson Equestrian Statue (1853–1856)
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Jackson Lays the Cornerstone for Jackson Statue (1840)
New Orleans Architectural Tours


External links


WaymarkingWikimapia
{{Portal bar, United States, Modern history, Politics, Visual arts 1852 sculptures Artworks in the collection of the National Park Service Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C. Equestrian statues in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. Jackson, Andrew Equestrian statues in Louisiana Equestrian statues in Tennessee Vandalized works of art in Washington, D.C.