Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial

Paul Manship, Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial, n.d., cast posthumously, bronze, height: 9 in. (22.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1971.15

Artwork Details

Title: Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial
Artist: Paul Manship
Date: n.d., cast posthumously
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
4th Floor
/
49A
Dimensions: height: 9 in. (22.9 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Mediums: bronze
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Monument — memorial — Smith
Study — sculpture model
Animal — deer
Animal — bear
Object Number: 1971.15
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1971.15

Artwork Description

This is a small model of the flagpole base in the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Park in Manhattan. As governor of New York, Alfred E. Smith (1873-1944) made many improvements to the city's Lower East Side, including the development of parkland and low-cost housing. The park was opened in 1950 and included two other monuments to the governor. The animals in this piece, native to the state before colonial settlement, symbolize Smith's love of conservation.