Girl Skating

Abastenia St. Léger Eberle, Girl Skating, modeled 1906, bronze, 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 11 ¹⁄₂ x 6 ³⁄₄ in. (32.8 x 29.2 x 17.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the C.K. Williams Foundation, 2011.29

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Artwork Details

Title: Girl Skating
Artist: Abastenia St. Léger Eberle
Date: modeled 1906
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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3rd Floor
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North Wing
Dimensions: 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 11 ¹⁄₂ x 6 ³⁄₄ in. (32.8 x 29.2 x 17.2 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase through the C.K. Williams Foundation
Mediums: bronze
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Figure female — child — full length
Recreation — sport and play — skating
Object Number: 2011.29
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2011.29

Artwork Description

Abastenia Eberle created several bronze casts of Girl Skating (also known as Roller Skating or Girl with Roller Skate). A year after she was elected to the National Sculpture Society, Eberle exhibited Girl Skating in New York City and Philadelphia. As her first piece that displayed the children of Manhattan's streets, it marked the beginning of her focus on urban poverty. Eberle addressed social issues in this sculpture while capturing the spirit of these poor communities. Girl Skating's uneven surfaces accentuate the girl's tattered appearance, yet her outstretched arms and open-mouthed expression still convey joy and the thrill of play.