It remains a rare material artifact of a fair centerpiece since lost to time, and a clue to the importance of her high-profile commission for American culture and Black artistry.
Standing at 16 feet in height and one of only two works by African American artists featured in the exhibition, Savage’s plaster sculpture took its name from James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn of particular meaning within Black communities. Savage modeled the piece after themes found in the song—unity, perseverance through faith, and pride, all of which are reflected in her musical scene. The harp’s form is defined by a long arm and hand cradling 12 singers in choir robes, their strong stance and the folds of their garments evocative of strings. A young man kneels in the lead holding sheet music and carrying a pensive expression on his face, uplifted (we imagine) by the beautiful melody and the image the eponymous hymn’s words recall.
“The Harp,” as it became known, was a major achievement for Savage. Born Augusta Christine Fells in Green Cove, Florida, February 29, 1892, she was raised by a Methodist minister who opposed her creative interests. Over her father’s objections, Savage returned again and again to sculpture throughout her youth and—after marrying, having a child, and becoming widowed by her early 20s—committed her focus to the arts and moved to New York City with less than $5 in her pocket. Savage quickly became a recognized talent in the art world and a vocal advocate for equal rights, generating media attention when an American selection committee revoked her award of a summer study-abroad scholarship to Paris because of her race. Defying these obstacles, Savage self-funded and completed a 4-year arts degree at The Cooper Union in 3 years, fundraised for her own trips to France to exhibit at prestigious sites like the Salon d’Automne and Grand Palais, and earned an array of accolades ranging from a Carnegie Foundation travel grant to the distinction of being the only African American member admitted into the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. By 1937, the 1939 New York World’s Fair Board of Design reached out to her with the idea of a large-scale sculpture symbolizing the legacy of African American music.
Though 44 million guests had the chance to witness and admire Savage’s triumph at the 19-month exhibition, unfortunately the work was destroyed when the fair ended, a scenario not uncommon for temporary works and pavilions. Promotional postcards and documentary photos like the one in McKay’s book, however, paint a picture of the song and sculpture’s true impact and continued resonance. Today, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is still widely celebrated as the “Black national anthem” (recently and memorably performed at “Beychella”) and metal replicas of Savage’s 1939 tribute—a testament to the inspirational power of the Black church and indomitable nature of the human spirit—are held in collections such as those of the Schomburg Center in Harlem and Columbus Museum in Georgia.
– Carlos Ascurra, FIU Humanities Edge curatorial intern
Archive for Sculptures
INDEPENDENCE DAY ~~ 247 Years !!!
Posted by: | CommentsHermon MacNeil’s Commander-in-Chief
George Washington on Arch in NYC
General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
Hermon MacNeil was a Red-White-and-Blue Sculptor of American History.
click BELOW for MORE.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~
Images of
Happy 4th of July
from Dan Leininger, Webmaster
The Stars and Stripes fly day and night at the home of Webmaster Dan Leininger in South Dakota. They are illuminated dusk to dawn by automatic lighting. (The tie, however, only waves on special occasions like July 4th.)
Related posts:
- INDEPENDENCE DAY Images ~ from Hermon A. MacNeil (7.4) Here are a few images of Independence from Hermon Atkins…
- MacNeil Month ~~ February 2016 ~~ 150 Years (6) The year 2016 marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of…
- Hermon MacNeil at the 1893 Columbian Exposition ~ ~ ~ THE CHICAGO YEARS ~ ~ (6) CHICAGO YEARS: Partners and Colleagues When Hermon MacNeil came home to the…
- More “Confederate Defenders” Protests; AND Ten Years Ago on this Website. (6) Sunday (July 12, 2020) saw continued protest at the Confederate…
- Hermon MacNeil and Hamlin Garland ~ ~ Connections Through the Years – Part 3 (6) Hermon MacNeil met Hamlin Garland in Chicago. Hermon MacNeil Hermon…
- MacNeil’s Bust of John Stewart Kennedy ~ 100 Years Ago ~ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (5.8) A BRIEF NOTE from the Webmaster: “We did not discover…
MacNeil – Supreme Court
The 2 Fasces of the East Pediment. On Left in yellow circle: Man with traditional fascis. On Right in green circle: Woman with a grain sheath Fascis.
Additional Examples of
FASCES in Washington, D.C. Capitol Area:
Two fasces appear on either side of the flag of the United States behind the podium in the United States House of Representatives, with bronze examples replacing the previous gilded iron installments during the remodeling project of 1950.[9]
Podium of the
U. S. House of Representatives:
Podium of the U. S. House of Representatives
These 2 large Bronze fasces frame both sides of the Flag of the United States behind the podium in the United States House of Representatives. These larger-than-life bronze examples replaced the previous gilded iron installments during the remodeling project of 1950.[9]
Lincoln Memorial:
Daniel Chester Frenches tribute to
Lincoln’s Preservation of the Union
Seated In the marble throne supported by two Roman fasces symbols, Daniel Chester French’s “Lincoln” gazes contemplatively over the “preserved Union.”
At the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln’s seat of state bears the fasces—without axes—on the fronts of its arms; fasces also appear on the pylons flanking the main staircase leading into the memorial.
Mercury Dime — Winged Liberty (reverse)
Fasces from the reverse of the Liberty (Winged Mercury) Dime minted from 1916 to 1945.
Another sculptor and colleague of Hermon MacNeil, Adolph Weinman, used a fasces motif in his coin design. The reverse of the Mercury Dime, the design [used until the adoption of the current FDR dime in 1945], features a fasces on the reverse side (tails).
“The Mercury dime is a ten-cent coin struck by the United States Mint from late 1916 to 1945. Designed by Adolph Weinman and also referred to as the Winged Liberty Head dime, it gained its common name because the obverse depiction of a young Liberty, identifiable by her winged Phrygian cap, was confused with the Roman god Mercury..
Other Uses of the “Fasces” in Art and Insignia.
- Statue of Freedom Fasces ring the base of the Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol building
- A frieze on the facade of the United States Supreme Court building depicts the figure of a Roman centurion holding a fasces, to represent “order”[10]
- The National Guard uses the fasces on the seal of the National Guard Bureau, and it appears in the insignia of Regular Army officers assigned to National Guard liaison and in the insignia and unit symbols of National Guard units themselves; for instance, the regimental crest of the 71st Infantry Regiment (New York) of the New York National Guard consisted of a gold fasces set on a blue background
- The official seal of the United States Tax Court bears the fasces at its center
- Four fasces flank the two bronze plaques on either side of the bust of Lincoln memorializing his Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- The seal of the United States Courts Administrative Office includes a fasces behind crossed quill and scroll
- In the Washington Monument, there is a statue of George Washington leaning on a fasces
- A fasces is a common element in US Army Military Police heraldry, most visibly on the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 18th Military Police Brigade and the 42nd Military Police Brigade
- A fasces also appears shoulder sleeve insignia of the US Army Reserve Legal Command
- Seated beside George Washington, a figure holds a fasces as part of The Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco mural suspended above the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building.
- On the podium of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C., beneath Abraham Lincoln‘s right hand. See Also: Capitol Hill Parks , National Capital Parks-East
- On the obverse of the 1896 $1 Educational Series note there is a fasces leaning against the wall behind the youth.
- In the Oval Office, above the door leading to the exterior walkway, and above the corresponding door on the opposite wall, which leads to the president’s private office; note: the fasces depicted have no axes, possibly because in the Roman Republic, the blade was always removed from the bundle whenever the fasces were carried inside the city, in order to symbolize the rights of citizens against arbitrary state power (see above).
~~
Seated In the marble throne supported by two Roman fasces symbols, Lincoln gazes contemplatively over the “preserved Union.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces Fasces article at Wikipedia
Federal fasces iconography
Emancipation Memorial
2023 – MacNeil & Fasces at the Supreme Court
Posted by: | CommentsThe Hermon MacNeil’s sculpture of the
East Pediment contains a hidden fasces.
~ The Fasces (located to the left of Confucius) rests on the shoulder of the man holding the boy. They represent the enforcement of the law and its passing on to coming generations.
A Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
~ Is There a
2nd Fasces?
~ The Female figure to the right is resting another bound form on her shoulder.
I had imagined it was a Sheaf of grain with leaves extended to the right. There is also a young girl (half visible to her right). Again the presence of the YOUTH suggests ‘the “Carrying on” of civilization through a internal knowledge of right and wrong’.
But being bound as a fasces,
it shares that same symbolism of
power and jurisdiction”
MacNeil described the right side or the Pediment as
tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated”.
Visitors often miss the East Pediment of the Supreme Court Building because it is located at the rear of the building. This sculptural group was designed by Hermon A. MacNeil (1866–1947), an artist who studied under the masters of classical architecture and design. Cass Gilbert (1859–1934), the architect of the building, worked closely with MacNeil from 1932 to 1934 to create the thirteen symmetrically balanced allegorical figures. MacNeil submitted the following description of his work to the Supreme Court Building Commission:
“Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The ‘Eastern Pediment’ of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East. Moses, Confucius and Solon are chosen as representing three great civilizations
and form the central group of this Pediment.Flanking this central group—left—is the symbolical figure bearing the means of enforcing the law. On the right a group tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated. The ‘Youth’ is brought into both these groups to suggest the “Carrying on” of civilization through the knowledge imbibed of right and wrong. The next two figures with shields; Left – The settlement of disputes between states through enlightened judgment. Right—Maritime and other large functions of the Supreme
Court in protection of the United States. The last figures: Left—Study and pondering of judgments. Right – A tribute to the fundamental and supreme character of this Court.Finale—The fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.”~
Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
Related posts:
- SUPREME COURT – Arrival at last! (16.7) “Slow but steady wins the race.” So said Aesop in…
- Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court (16.5) The East Pediment of the Supreme Court of the United…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ (16.3) When the Supreme Court justices considered whether the Ten Commandments…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Tortoise & the Hare Revisited ~ ~ ~ (15.2) At each corner of the East Pediment of the…
- JOURNEY TO SUPREME COURT: ~ Finds plenty of Sculpture along the way in Washington D.C. … (14.4) I recently visited our nation’s Capitol with family. Sculpture and…
- Tortoise and Hare taken to Supreme Court (13.6) Hermon MacNeil has taken the Tortoise and the Hare to…
After the adoption of the US Constitution in 1789 and for the next 146 years, the United States Supreme Court had no permanent home. Briefly from 1789 to 1800, the Federal Government functioned out of Philadelphia, and then New York City until the permanent Capitol was built in the District of Columbia. Finally, in 1800 the U.S. Federal Government moved into Washington, D.C.
Painting: “British Burn the Capitol, 1814,” Allyn Cox, 1974, Corridor, House wing, First Floor.
The Supreme Court of the United States, however, changed its meeting place a half dozen times within the Capitol. After the British burned the Capitol in the War of 1812, the Court convened in a private home. Eventually, from 1860 until 1935, the Court sat in what is now known as the “Old Senate Chamber.”
Hermon Atkins MacNeil (1866 -1947)
Cass Gilbert architect (1859 – 1934)
Though considered a co-equal branch, the Judicial function seemed a “nomadic” tenant of space in the growing Capitol until 1929. A former President, who later served as Chief Justice, changed that itinerant existence.
Chief Justice Wm. Howard Taft 1921
In 1929 Chief Justice William Howard Taft, who had been President of the United States from 1909 to 1913, persuaded Congress to end this arrangement and authorize the construction of a permanent home for the Court. Architect Cass Gilbert was charged by Chief Justice Taft to design “a building of dignity and importance suitable for its use as the permanent home of the Supreme Court of the United States.” [Gilbert and Taft were both Ohioans and life long friends.]
Neither Taft nor Gilbert survived to see the Supreme Court Building completed. Construction proceeded under the direction of Chief Justice Hughes and architects Cass Gilbert, Jr., and John R. Rockart. The construction, begun in 1932, was completed in 1935, when the Court was finally able to occupy its own building.
Hermon MacNeil and Architects
Hermon MacNeil trained in Paris at the Ecole de Beaux Arts with both sculptors and architects. He later won the Reinhart Prize and again studied with architects and sculptors from 1896 to 1899 at the American Academy in Rome.
The New York Architectural League wanted an award medallion to present to architects and sculptors. They commissioned Hermon MacNeil to create a suitable medal. Photos of MacNeil’s original clay masters may be viewed here: [CLICK HERE]. These clay were reduced onto the steel dies used press the final medallions pictured below.
Later A. A. Weinman and Hermon MacNeil were both awarded this commemorative creation. Weinman designed the Walking Liberty half dollar and the Mercury dime
The actual medal presented to Weinman is pictured below. It resides in the webmaster’s private collection.
New York Architectural League Medal. Designed by Hermon MacNeil this is the actual medallion awarded to A. A. Weinmann. https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/medal-honor-sculpture-architectural-league-new-york Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Hermon MacNeil and Cass Gilbert
MacNeil added sculptures to at least two of Cass Gilbert’s many buildings and monument projects.
-
United States Supreme Court 1928-1935[9] Washington, DC -
St. Louis Art Museum 1901-1904[12] Saint Louis, MO
MacNeil & the Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court website suggests Gilbert was directly involved with the sculptor’s designs.
Cass Gilbert, the building’s architect, worked closely with MacNeil from 1932 to 1934 to create the thirteen symmetrically balanced figures above the Corinthian portico.
The central marble figures on this rarely noticed eastern pediment depict the theme “Justice – The Guardian of Liberty.” Sculptor MacNeil’s central figures represent three great Eastern civilizations from which our laws are derived. These figures portray lawgivers: Moses (receiver of Hebrew Ten Commandments) flanked by Confucius (Chinese philosopher and teacher) and Solon (Athenian lawmaker, statesman, and poet). Confucius is on the viewers’ left, Solon to the right, both flanking Moses with his hands on two separate tablets. 1
MacNeil & the St. Louis Art Museum (Palace of Fine Arts).
To view this collaboration from 1912: CLICK HERE
Photos:
- Painting: “British Burn the Capitol, 1814,” Allyn Cox, 1974, Corridor, House wing, First Floor. (https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/blog/most-magnificent-ruin-burning-capitol-during-war-1812)
- “The East Pediment” https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/east_pediment_11132013.pdf. SEE ALSO: “Religious Symbols Inside & Outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building”. Assembled by Nathaniel Segal 2014 http://nathanielsegal.mysite.com/TenCommandments/10SupremeCourtBuilding.html
- This Unique “New York Architectural League” Award Medal links H. A. MacNeil & A. A. Weinman. Posted by: | here on Sept. 01, 2022 https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2022/09/01/this-unique-new-york-architectural-league-award-medal-links-h-a-macneil-a-a-weinman/
- “New York Architectural League Medal” ~Original Clay Models saved from the MacNeil Studio ~ 1947 Posted by: | here on Sept. 16, 2022 https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2022/09/16/new-york-architectural-league-medal-original-clay-models-saved-from-the-macneil-studio-1947/
Research Sources:
- Cass Gilbert Society: Selected Works. Retrieved at https://www.cassgilbertsociety.org/works/ on May, 20, 2023
- Cass Gilbert Society: Biography. Retrieved at https://www.cassgilbertsociety.org/architect/bio.html on May, 20, 2023
Will Rogers, Got His Parting Wish. —
Posted by: | CommentsJulie Tsirkin reports “Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
As Will Rogers’ statue watches behind her
Jo Davidson, sculptor, 1921
Thanks to Jo Davidson,
“Will Rogers” is keeping his eye on Congress!
Hermon MacNeil’s “studio boy” became renowned sculptor Jo Davidson of portrait busts.
Jo Davidson looks uo to his bronze “Will Rogers” in his Paris Studio before came to the U.S.
Perhaps you saw
Julie Tsirkin,
Capitol correspondent,
report from the U.S. Capitol.
“Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
Sometimes you just see the “Will’s” legs and the shoes. But Will wanted his eyes kept on Congress. So “The old head hunter” (Will’s nickname for Jo) made his head turned so he could look down at Congress members as they walked into the Chamber.
~ ~ 0 ~ ~
“There are men running governments
who shouldn’t be allowed
to play with matches.”
– Will Rogers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don’t make jokes.
I just watch the government
and report the facts.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers statue in US Capitol sculpted by Jo Davidson who began his career as a “studio boy” for Hermon MacNeil in College Point.
If you could ever see the marble base it would reveal three words:
Will Rogers
Oklahoma
The Washington, D.C. version of the statue was unveiled in 1939.[11] At that unveiling on June 6, Senator Joshua B. Lee said of Rogers’ effect on the United States during the Depression, “His humor was the safety valve for American Life.”[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
The House Connecting corridor is the common visual background for Capitol news briefings. The nameless, but familiar, dark bronze legs or full statue, represent Will’s last wish.
Last Wish of
Will Rogers
“I need to keep my eyes
on Congress.”
Jo Davidson’s statue watched on January 6, 2021 as raging Trump protestors turned into rioters (mixed with vigilantes) attacking the Capitol Building. [ breaking windows, carrying fire arms, vandalizing desks and offices, creating chaos and danger … ]
Senators were in the Constitutional process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College which authorizes the Inauguration of the 46th President on January 20, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
HUMOR from 100 years ago:
(Then tell me if Will Rogers still speaks to us in 2023.)
- “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers
- “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.” – Will Rogers
- “If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?” – Will Rogers
- “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can’t get us out.” – Will Rogers
- “A fool and his money are soon elected.” – Will Rogers
- “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers
- “The more you observe politics, the more you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other.” – Will Rogers
- “Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” – Will Rogers
- “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.” – Will Rogers
- “An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.” – Will Rogers
- “The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” – Will Rogers
- “I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat.” – Will Rogers
- “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re actually paying for.” – Will Rogers
- “There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” – Will Rogers
- “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.” – Will Rogers
Related posts:
- DC Capitol Assault? by “Trump-it-eers!” ~~ What Would Will Rogers Say about January 6, 2021 ? (9.6) Jo Davidson was the “studio boy” for Hermon Atkins MacNeil…
- Will Rogers Bedroom ~ Ponca City ~ Post # 4 ~ (7.7) E.W. Marland the colorful oil baron of the 1910s and…
CREDITS:
- Photo: Will Rogers Statue https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/timeline/image/will-rogers-jo-davidson-1938
- Will Rogers Quotes: https://inspirationfeed.com/will-rogers-quotes/
- Will Rogers Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
As mentioned in the previous post [on May 5, 2023] Savage applied for a summer art program at the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France.[9] She was accepted, BUT THEN rejected because she was BLACK.
Sculptor, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, wrote a letter of protest to W.E.B. Dubois, then Hermon invited Augusta to study with him. She later cited Hermon as one of her teachers.”
All of that took place in 1923,
THEN, 15 YEARS Later . . . the
1939 New York World’s Fair
premiered her work —
“The Harp”
OR
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
HEAR THE HISTORY OF THE ANTHEM . . .
As you ~ ~
“Lift Up Your Voice, And Sing”
–
1939 WHITE WORKMAN landscape around the “HARP” as it towers above them. Source: The Body is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists. Retrieved on May 1, 2023 at [https://sites.smith.edu/afr111-f19/the-harp/ ]
SOURCES:
- “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift_Every_Voice_and_Sing_(sculpture)#Replicas.
- Book page, “Sculpture by Augusta Savage, evocative of Negro music; commissioned by the New York World’s Fair,” from Harlem: Negro Metropolis, 1940
- Augusta Savage (American, 1892–1962), author
E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., New York City, publisher
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Historical Design, New York City, XC2019.02.1.12- The Body is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists. Retrieved on May 1, 2023 at [https://sites.smith.edu/afr111-f19/the-harp/ ]
- Claude McKay, Harlem: Negro Metropolis, 1940. A narrative history of Harlem and its most notable African American residents. The book includes photographs of works by Black artist Augusta Savage in the early 20th century.
