The Bartholdi Fountain is a monumental public

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

, designed by

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi ( , ; 2 August 1834 – 4 October 1904) was a French sculptor and painter. He is best known for designing ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Early life and education Barthold ...

, who later created the Statue of Liberty. The fountain was originally made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and is now located at the corner of Independence Avenue and First Street, SW, in the

United States Botanic Garden The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a botanical garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle. The Botanic Garden is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol, who ...

, on the grounds of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

, 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, Na ...

"The Bartholdi Fountain, (sculpture)"
. ''Art Inventories, Smithsonian American Art Museum.'' Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)

History

Bartholdi fountain, by Centennial Photographic Co

The ''Fountain of Light and Water'', commonly called the Bartholdi fountain, was created for the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition which celebrated the 100th birthday of the United States. It was designed by French sculptor

, and it was cast by the Durenne foundry in France, which had won awards for its cast-iron fountains at earlier international expositions in 1862, 1867 and 1873.Frances R. Kowsky, ''The Bartholdi Fountain: A Model for All Our Cities'', Gazette des Beaux Arts, sec. 6, volume 94, December 1979. pp. 231–237. Bartholdi offered the fountain to the Exposition for free; he intended to sell it afterwards, and to sell others of the same design to other cities. The fountains stood at the center of the esplanade, near the main entrance to the exposition. When the exposition ended in 1877, Bartholdi did not find any buyers for his fountain. One year later it was purchased by the United States Congress, which offered him only six thousand dollars, half the sum he had originally asked. In 1878, it was placed at the base of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In 1926 it was removed and stored to facilitate completion of the George Gordon Meade Memorial, and for landscaping improvements around the Grant Memorial. In 1932, the sculpture was placed at its current location in the

, on the grounds of the

In 2008 the Architect of the Capitol began a complete restoration of the fountain and its basin, the first complete deconstruction and restoration since 1927. The restoration repaired deterioration to the metals inside and out, and also provided modern pumps and motors, a new water treatment and filtration system, and a zinc coating to preserve the original cast-iron of the fountain. The fountain was returned to

Bartholdi Park Bartholdi Park is a public park named after French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who is known primarily for designing the Statue of Liberty. It is located at the corner of Independence Avenue and Washington Avenue. Bartholdi Park is part ...

in spring 2011.

Design

The fountain is composed of a series of basins, supported by sculptures of classical figures. The cast iron is coated with bronze, stands high, and weighs . It stands in the center of a large circular marble pool. Three figures of women, standing on a triangle pedestal with an ornamental design of seashells and three reptiles spouting water, support the lower cast iron vasque, which is adorned with a circle of twelve lamps. In the center, three kneeling tritons support another, smaller and higher vasque. Water spouts from a crown at the top, cascades down into the smaller vasque, and then down into the larger vasque before spilling into the main basin. The cascade of water was illuminated by the gas lamps (later replaced with electric globes), making it one of the first monuments in Washington, D.C. to be lit at night, and therefore a popular evening destination in the 1880s.

References

Bibliography

*Marilyn Symmes, editor, ''Fountains: Splash and Spectacle—Water and Design from the Renaissance to the Present'', Thames and Hudson, in association with Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, 1998.

External links

The Bartholdi Fountain
digital imaging project by Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University. 2002. {{Public art in Washington, D.C. 1876 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C. Fountains in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Relocated buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Seashells in art United States Capitol grounds Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Southwest Federal Center Centennial Exposition

History

Design

See also

References

Bibliography

External links