The Puritan (Springfield, Massachusetts)
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''The Puritan'' is a
bronze statue 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 (su ...
by sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...
in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
, which became so popular that it was reproduced for over 20 other cities, museums, universities, and private collectors around the world, and later became an official symbol of the city, emblazoned on its municipal flag. Originally designed to be part of
Stearns Square Stearns Square is an urban, city square located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, in the heart of Metro Center's Club Quarter. It was designed by the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and the landscape architect Stanford White, to accom ...
, since 1899 the statue has stood at the corner of Chestnut and State Street next to The Quadrangle.


History

In 1881, Chester W. Chapin, a railroad tycoon and congressman from
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
, commissionedDryfhout, p. 162. the renowned sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...
to create a bronze likeness of his ancestor, Deacon Samuel Chapin (1595–1675), one of the early settlers of the City of Springfield. By 1881, Springfield had become one of America's most innovative industrial and manufacturing centers, and was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The sculpture, which was cast at
Bureau Brothers Foundry Bureau Brothers Foundry was a foundry established by two French immigrants, Achille and Edouard Bureau, in Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city i ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, was unveiled on
Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
, November 24, 1887 in Stearns Square, between Bridge and Worthington streets, was a collaboration between
Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses ...
of the leading architecture firm
McKim, Mead, and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...
, and the sculptor Saint-Gaudens. The statue featured numerous landscape details to enhance the sculpture. In 1899, the statue was moved to Merrick Park, on the corner of Chestnut and State Streets next to the old city library, which would later become part of Springfield's Quadrangle cultural center, where it has remained. The move was contrary to creators' preference, but one writer for '' The Republican'' opined in 1886 that "a position on the city library grounds, on the contrary would exhibit the artist's intent to the best advantage." In 1983, City Councilor Mary Hurley sought to restore the statue to its original location in Stearns Square. This move was initiated in part due to the restoration of the Turtle Fountain and other fixtures at that location, but the proposal lacked support. Then-mayoral candidate
Richard Neal Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1989. The district, numbered as the Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, 2nd di ...
opposed the move, as did the descendants of Deacon Chapin, arguing that the statue had become a fixture of the Quadrangle's museums and that the original move had rescued it from vandalism during its short stay in Stearns Square. The sculpture now stands next to the Springfield City Library built in 1912. The base is inscribed:
1595 Anno Domini 1675 Deacon Samuel Chapin One Of The Founders Of Springfield


Likeness

No authentic portraits of Deacon Samuel Chapin were available for the statue's design. The
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), one of America's foremost sculptors. The house and grounds of the National Historic Site served ...
says it was modeled after Deacon Chapin's descendant Chester W. Chapin, as asserted by the artist himself.Bach However, contemporary accounts also describe the face as "no portrait of any Chapin, but a composite in the sculptor's mind of the family type". In 2014, Chicopee city historian Stephen Jendrysik submitted the theory that the figure was a surreptitious portrait of the militant abolitionist
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
, who was also a direct descendant of Deacon Chapin and a devout
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
. Brown was a leading militant figure in the escalating tensions between North and South which lead to the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, and it was in Springfield that Brown first organized the militant
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
movement, the ''Subterranean Pass Way'' with
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...
and
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, us ...
. Chester Chapin's business associate Ethan S. Chapin owned the Massasoit Hotel, which acted as a
safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...
for escaped slaves to hide beneath its staircase, and Brown's lodging prior to his move to the city in the 1840s. Chester Chapin had been a
War Democrat War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads, or Peace Democrats. The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Co ...
himself, paying for the uniforms of 10th Regiment at the start of the Civil War. In ''John Brown, Abolitionist'' (2005), historian
David S. Reynolds David S. Reynolds (born 1948) is an American literary critic, biographer, and historian who has written about American literature and culture. He is the author or editor of fifteen books, on the Civil War era—including figures such as Walt W ...
refers to Brown as "The Puritan", as Brown often cited the inspiration of figures such as
Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...
and
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
. Puritan beliefs strongly influenced the abolitionist movement, and were condemned by divines of the South for their
antinomian Antinomianism ( [] 'against' and [] 'law') is any view which rejects laws or Legalism (theology), legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (), or is at least considered to do so. The term has both religious and secular meaning ...
individualism and rebeliousness. The anti-war congressman
Samuel S. Cox Samuel Sullivan "Sunset" Cox (September 30, 1824 – September 10, 1889) was an American Congressman and diplomat. He represented both Ohio and New York in the United States House of Representatives and served as United States Ambassador to the ...
considered that " olition is the offspring of Puritanism
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
introduced the moral elements involved in slavery into politics." Saint-Gaudens remains best known for his Civil War memorial works, including the ''
Robert Gould Shaw Memorial The ''Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment'' is a bronze relief sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens opposite 24 Beacon Street, Boston (at the edge of the Boston Common). It depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw le ...
'' on
Boston Common The Boston Common is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by five major Boston streets: Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street, Charl ...
honoring the
54th Massachusetts Infantry The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantr ...
, the first African-American Union regiment. At the monument's unveiling, the singing of the war ballad "
John Brown's Body "John Brown's Body" ( Roud 771), originally known as "John Brown's Song", is a United States marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The song arose out of the folk hymn ...
" reminded the sculptor of an emotional moment 30 years prior, when a corps of New England infantry had sung it while marching to war past his office.


Popularity

The statue was so popular that Saint-Gaudens, seeing a business opportunity, decided to produce smaller versions under the title ''The Puritan''. Today more than 25 slightly altered copies can be found in museums, art galleries, universities, and private collections around the world. Prominent examples appear in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
's Museum of Fine Arts,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
's
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, and the
Smithsonian Museum of American Art The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
. The statue has become a popular motif in advertising, as well as a symbol for the
New England Society of New York The New England Society in the City of New York (NES) is one of several lineage organizations in the United States and one of the oldest charitable societies in the country. It was founded in 1805 to promote “friendship, charity and mutual a ...
. The New England Society of Pennsylvanians commissioned a replica, with some changes in the figure's dress and face: "For the head in the original statue, I used as a model the head of Mr. Chapin himself, assuming that there would be some family resemblance with the Deacon, who was his direct ancestor. But Mr. Chapin's face is round and Gaelic in character, so in the Philadelphia work, I changed the features completely, giving them the long, New England type, besides altering the folds of the cloak in many respects, the legs, the left hand, and the Bible." The copy, dubbed '' The Pilgrim'', was placed on the South Plaza of City Hall, then relocated to its present site in
Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...
in 1920.
Numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...
and art historian
Cornelius Vermeule Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule III (August 10, 1925 – November 27, 2008) was an American scholar of ancient art and curator of classical art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from 1957 to 1996. He was also well known as a numismatist. He also ...
, in his volume on U.S. coins and medals, suggested ''The Puritan'' was one of American sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin's influences in designing the portrait of
Governor William Bradford William Bradford ( 19 March 15909 May 1657) was an English Puritan English Dissenters, Separatist originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. He moved to Leiden in the Dutch Republic in order to escape persecution from Jame ...
on the 1920-1921
Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar The Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar or Pilgrim half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1920 and 1921 to mark the 300th anniversary (tercentenary) of the arrival of the Pilgrims in ...
. Like the statue, the obverse of the coin portrays a typified Puritan holding a bible under his left arm.


Gallery

File:Samuel Chapin Statue, aka, The Puritan.jpg, Photograph of the statue in Springfield, by the Detroit Publishing Company (1905). File:Springfield Puritan detail.jpg, Part of ''The Puritan'' by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...
File:WLA amart The Puritan ca 1899 Augustus Saint-Gaudens.jpg, A copy of the larger sculpture by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...
in the Smithsonian, with differences from the Springfield original. File:The Puritan (Deacon Samuel Chapin) LACMA M.91.74.jpg, A copy of the statue in the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...
File:Pilgrim Fairmount 2.jpg, ''The Pilgrim'', the Philadelphia replica of ''The Puritan''. File:The Puritan (copy) illustration, from Chapin National Bank.svg, An illustration of one of Saint-Gaudens' copies, used to promote a so-named Chapin National Bank in 1923 File:The Puritan on the Springfield 275th Anniversary medallion.jpg, The statue on the reverse side of the city's 275th anniversary medallion


In popular culture

* The statue plays a pivotal role in the plot of the 1975 mystery-drama ''
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud ''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' is a 1975 American psychological horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starring Michael Sarrazin, Margot Kidder, and Jennifer O'Neill. It follows a university professor who, after experiencing a ser ...
'', directed by
J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. Initially an exponent of social realism, he became known as a versatile and prolific director of thrillers, action, and adventure fil ...
. In the film, protagonist Dr. Peter Proud, a professor in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, is haunted by visions of a town in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
from a past life, with particular focus on ''The Puritan'' statue and Springfield's South Congregational Church. * A rendition of ''The Puritan'' is emblazoned in the center of Springfield's
flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...
, adopted by the city in 1923. * The statue appears in "The Book Of Bill" in the chapter titled "Witchcraft".


See also

*
Robert Gould Shaw Memorial The ''Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment'' is a bronze relief sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens opposite 24 Beacon Street, Boston (at the edge of the Boston Common). It depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw le ...
, Saint-Gaudens's most prominent piece in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, depicting the
54th Massachusetts The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...
, the first African-American regiment organized in the northern states during the Civil War *
Miles Morgan Miles Morgan (1616 – 28 May 1699) was a Welsh colonist of America, a pioneer settler of what was to become Springfield, Massachusetts. Being one of the few settlers whose homesteads were successfully defended during the attack on Springfield, ...
, a contemporary of Samuel Chapin whose likeness is depicted in a statue near the
Springfield Municipal Group The Municipal Group of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States is a collection of three prominent municipal buildings in the city's Metro Center district. Consisting of a concert hall, City Hall, and a clocktower, the Group is a center of go ...
by
Jonathan Scott Hartley Jonathan Scott Hartley (September 23, 1845 – December 6, 1912) was an American sculptor. Biography Jonathan Scott Hartley was born in Albany, New York on September 23, 1845. He was educated at The Albany Academy, and married Helen Inness in ...


References

* Bach, Penny Balkin. ''Public Art in Philadelphia'' Temple University Press, 1992. Philadelphia PA. * Burt, Henry M. ''The First Century of the History of Springfield: the Official Records from 1636 to 1736, with an Historical Review and a Biographical Mention of the Founders, Volume I'' Henry M. Burt, 1898. Springfield MA
full text online
* Dryfhout, John H. ''The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens'' University Press of New England, 1982. Lebanon NH. * Metropolitan Museum of Art, The. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. New York NY. * Tolles, Thayer. "Augustus Saint-Gaudens in The Metropolitan Museum of Art". ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', v. 66, no. 4 (Spring, 2009). New York NY.


Notes


External links


Metropolitan Museum of Art
Discussion of the sculpture's history.
''Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Master Sculptor''
exhibition catalog fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on The Puritan {{DEFAULTSORT:Puritan, The 1887 establishments in Massachusetts 1887 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Massachusetts Cultural depictions of John Brown (abolitionist) Culture of Springfield, Massachusetts Outdoor sculptures in Massachusetts Sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens Sculptures of men in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Springfield, Massachusetts Statues in Massachusetts Statues of activists