Memorial to Major General George Gordon Meade (preliminary model)

Charles Grafly, Memorial to Major General George Gordon Meade (preliminary model), 1915-1925, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy Grafly, 1968.40
Copied Charles Grafly, Memorial to Major General George Gordon Meade (preliminary model), 1915-1925, bronze, 36 1⁄8 x 18 x 18 in. (91.9 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy Grafly, 1968.40
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Memorial to Major General George Gordon Meade (preliminary model)
Artist
Date
1915-1925
Location
Dimensions
36 1⁄8 x 18 x 18 in. (91.9 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dorothy Grafly
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — nude
  • Study — sculpture model
  • History — United States — Civil War
  • Allegory — other — triumph
  • Monument — statue — Meade
Object Number
1968.40
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.40

Artwork Description

In 1913 the state of Pennsylvania commissioned a statue of Civil War general George Meade, a native Pennsylvanian who led the Union troops to victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. Originally installed at Union Square, Washington, D.C., in 1922, the memorial was moved by the National Park Service into storage in 1969 for the construction of the reflecting pool, where it remained until 1983. It was then reinstalled on Pennsylvania Avenue and 3rd Street, near the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse.

General Meade is surrounded by allegorical figures representing Loyalty, Chivalry, Fame, Progress, Military Courage, and Energy, qualities that Grafly believed were characteristic of successful military leaders. The figures of Loyalty and Chivalry flank the general and remove his symbolic "cloak of battle," which General Meade leaves behind as he moves toward peace. In the back of the memorial, a winged representation of War links arms with Military Courage, suggesting that these extraordinary qualities derive from war. The state seal of Pennsylvania adorns the top of the memorial. (Grace E. Emerson, "The Meade Memorial," The Washington Post, April 18, 1926)