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Emancipation Group

Thomas Ball

Artwork Details

Emancipation Group
1865
Thomas Ball
bronze
32 15/16 in x 21 15/16 in x 16 5/8 in (83.66 cm x 55.72 cm x 42.23 cm)
Bequest of Henry C. Lewis
1895.13

Description

Subject Matter:

At the end of the Civil War (1861–65) there was an effort to promote an American Renaissance and to beautify cities with civic monuments and public sculpture. Sculptors, including Randolph Rogers, were commissioned to produce memorials that addressed themes of war and slavery and to commemorate military heroes, from the common soldier to President Abraham Lincoln himself. This work is a maquette for the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Park, which depicts Abraham Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator” freeing a slave, establishing a narrative of theoretical peace and unity.

Physical Description:

Bronze sculpture of a standing male figure his right hand holding a shield which rests upon a stack of book while his left arm is outstretched hovering over the crouching figure of an African American male figure.

Usage Rights:

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