Statue

George Washington

Erection date: 30/6/1921

Inscription

{On the base of the statue:}
George Washington

{On the plinth:}
Presented to the people of Great Britain and Ireland by the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1921.

The marble original is in Richmond, Virginia, USA. This bronze copy was presented by the Commonwealth of Virginia. There is a story that, since Washington once said he would never stand on English ground, this statue was supplied with some good ol' American soil on which to stand. For other soil-related stories see Winston Churchill, the Whitfield Tabernacle and the Unknown warrior.

Our colleague, Jamie Davis, has found a brief British Pathe item that shows "Washington Statue. Gift of State of Virginia - received on behalf of Nation by Lord Curzon. Trafalgar Square, London." None of the dignitaries on the film look to us like Curzon.

View from the Mirror has a good post about this statue.

From TribLive, describing the Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, Pittsburgh:
"... in the Presidential Court. It's a historic bronze statue of George Washington. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin in 1794, sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon created the original marble statue. The artist made a plaster cast of Washington's face to use for the sculpture.
In 1910, the Gorham Manufacturing Co. was authorized to make bronze replicas from the original molds. The resulting statues are displayed all over the country and world, including one at Versailles Palace in France and another at Trafalgar Square in London. The final statue cast stands in the park overlooking some of the first lawn crypts installed here, and the mold no longer exists."

Site: George Washington (1 memorial)

WC2, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery front lawn

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
George Washington

Subjects commemorated i

George Washington

Born Virginia, USA. First President USA. For a list of all the US presidents...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
George Washington

Created by i

George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess Curzon of Kedleston

Born Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. Viceroy of India. Successful Foreign Secreta...

Read More

Jean-Antoine Houdon

Jean-Antoine Houdon was born in Versailles, France, on 20 March 1741. He died...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Duke of Wellington statue - EC2

Duke of Wellington statue - EC2

EC2, Threadneedle Street

Unveiled in Wellington's presence, this is one of only a handful of statues in London unveiled while the subject was still alive. The oth...

3 subjects commemorated, 6 creators
V&A façade - Queen Victoria

V&A façade - Queen Victoria

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Frieze of Parnassus - Reynolds

Frieze of Parnassus - Reynolds

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert's passions and i...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
V&A façade - Leighton

V&A façade - Leighton

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Brunel statue - Paddington

Brunel statue - Paddington

W2, Departure Road, Paddington Station

This belongs to the select group of seated London statues - see Peabody. The same sculptor has a standing statue of Brunel in Bristol, a...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Ravenhill

Ravenhill

SW17, Church Lane

From Morden: "1824. Needful to enlarge the school, .. to ask Mr, Rice if he would sell adjoining cottage.. He declined to sell. Two new S...

1 subject commemorated