''Winged Victory'' is a World War I memorial in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, which consists of four figures of uniformed persons atop a granite pedestal eclipsed by a fifth figure depicting the ''

Winged Victory of Samothrace The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...

''. ''Winged Victory'' is located in front of the Insurance Building and adjacent to the

Washington State Capitol The Washington State Capitol or ''Legislative Building'' in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary ...

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

. Completed in 1938 by

Alonzo Victor Lewis Alonzo Victor Lewis (1886–1946) was an American artist. He is primarily known for public sculptures in the State of Washington; he also painted in the Impressionist style.Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason, ''The Arts and Crafts Movement in the ...

, it is dedicated to military personnel from Washington who died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and is notable for its inclusion of a

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

nurse in the group of figures depicted.

History

Background

In March 1917, anticipating the United States declaration of war on Germany that would come the following month,

Governor of Washington The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.WA Const. art. III, § 2. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,WA Const. art. III, § 5. the power to either a ...

Ernest Lister Ernest Lister (June 15, 1870June 14, 1919) was an American politician who served as the eighth governor of Washington from 1913 to 1919. Biography Born in Halifax, England, Lister immigrated with his family in 1884, to be near his uncle, who w ...

ordered the mobilization of the

Washington National Guard The Washington National Guard is one of the four elements of the State of Washington's Washington Military Department and a component of the National Guard of the United States. It is headquartered at Camp Murray, Washington and is defined by its ...

, whose units had only recently returned from service in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

during the Mexican border emergency. On August 5 of that year the 2nd Washington Infantry Regiment was pressed into federal service, later joined by the 146th Field Artillery. During the year-and-a-half in which the U.S. was engaged in hostilities, a total of 60,617 Washington men served in deployed National Guard units, or in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, or

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. During the conflict 1,642 were killed or died of disease.

Funding and construction

In 1919, following the conclusion of hostilities, Lister called for the erection of a monument to the citizens of Washington who were killed during the war. The

Washington State Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...

subsequently appropriated $50,000 for its design and construction, with funds partly raised through the sale of a state forest. The balance of the $100,000 cost of the monument was provided in grants from the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

. Seattle artist

, who already had a popular reputation in the state, was commissioned for the sculpture. His plans for it were approved in 1927 and the statue was completed in 1938. It was formally dedicated in a ceremony held on May 30, 1938, and it was unveiled by the mothers of two Washington soldiers who had been killed in action. Stephen Chadwick, then chairman of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

's Americanism Committee and later National Commander of the American Legion delivered the ceremonial charge.

Later history

Following the completion of ''Winged Victory'', which was Alonzo Victor Lewis' third World War I memorial statue, he was named the state's Sculptor Laureate. The statue was sandblasted in 1979 to remove staining on its surface. In 1988, the sculpture was painted with a coating of brass powder in an acrylic base, giving it a golden hue. This layer was removed in 2012 and the statue was restored to its original bronze color. Centennial observances of the end of World War I were held at the ''Winged Victory'' memorial in 2017, which were keynoted by

Lorraine McConaghy Lorraine McConaghy is a historian working at Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington, USA. McConaghy completed her Ph.D. in United States urban history at the University of Washington in 1993. She was the recipient of the Washington ...

. ''Winged Victory'' has been called "one of the most recognizable structures" on the campus of the

Design

Washington State Capitol - Winged Victory - detail 02

The bronze statue is elevated on a granite base; it features a

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...

from

Classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and polit ...

standing, with wings displayed, behind a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

soldier, a sailor, a Marine, and an

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

nurse, all of whom appear to be marching towards the east. The Winged Victory motif was a popular theme for World War I monuments of the era, though the inclusion of a Red Cross nurse makes the Olympia statue more complex than most. Each of the four sides of the statue's granite base is inscribed. On the east side, which is inlaid with a bronze representation of the Seal of the State of Washington, the inscription reads: On the north side is a Biblical quotation from

John 15 John 15 is the fifteenth chapter in the Gospel of John in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. It is part of what New Testament scholars have called the ' farewell discourse' of Jesus. It has historically been a source of Christian t ...

, verse 13: On the west side: On the south side: File:Washington State Capitol - Winged Victory pedestal inscription 01.jpg, TO THE MEMORY OF THE CITIZENS… File:Washington State Capitol - Winged Victory pedestal inscription 02.jpg, GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN… File:Washington State Capitol - Winged Victory pedestal inscription 03.jpg, THEIR SACRIFICE WAS TO VINDICATE… File:Washington State Capitol - Winged Victory pedestal inscription 04.jpg, THEY FOUGHT TO SAFEGUARD…

References

External links

* {{Public art in Olympia, Washington 1938 establishments in Washington (state) 1938 sculptures Allegorical sculptures in Washington (state) Bronze sculptures in Washington (state) Monuments and memorials in Olympia, Washington Outdoor sculptures in Olympia, Washington Sculptures of Victoria (mythology) Sculptures of men in Washington (state) Sculptures of women in Washington (state) Statues in Washington (state) Victory Washington State Capitol campus World War I memorials in the United States Cultural depictions of nurses