Details on the 54th Mass Monument, Boston Common

[LibertyHallVols]

Period photographs are great sources of details to consider for our impressions, especially now that high-resolution electronic versions are now available. Another source that I enjoy viewing is 19th Century post-war art, including paintings, engravings, and monuments.

In that last category, last week I had a chance to view the monument to the 54th Massachusetts on Boston Common. There are a lot of interesting details in that beautiful monument!

Here's one: Shaw's sword...
Other than the fact that the blade is missing ( :mad: ), there are a number of interesting details (see the pic)...
1) It is NOT a US Staff and Field Officer's Sword. It is either a cavalry saber (US or British, I cannot tell) or some sort of "non-regulation" sword, based on a foreign pattern. A number of discussions have come up lately infantry officers carrying cavalry swords, and this *might* be another example.

2) The use of a sword knot. Note that, not only is a sword knot present, but it is wrapped around the wrist. I see very few knots in the hobby and wonder if they were more common than a survey of hobby-officers would indicate.

Anyway, just thought I'd share some pics and try to stir up a little discussion on a slow afternoon.

Enjoy!

[dusty27]

Wick,

Next time you are near DC, come by the National Gallery of Art. Besides grabbing lunch, we have the original plaster cast of the memorial on display here, complete with sword.

Check it out at www.nga.gov (http://www.nga.gov). Search on Shaw Memorial

Dusty

[MBBursig]

My family owns Modern Art Foundry, a bronze casting business, and a number of years ago we cast a copy of the Shaw Memorial from the plaster model in Washington. I don't recall all the details, but the casting now resides outside at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire. http://www.buffaloah.com/a/elmwd/1285/s-g/source/17.html It was very cool seeing Col. Shaw standing in the middle of the foundry.

Saint-Gaudens was a great artist and his monument to Sherman in NYC is amazing, likewise he sculpted Admiral Farrugut which is also in NYC. The artist had great conceptual form, and his sculptures always had a great human, yet heroic flare. Note: The canteens are on the "wrong" side of the body of the 54th soldiers.

This page is devoted to the Shaw Memorial:
http://www.nga.gov/education/schoolarts/gaudens_image.shtm

[MBBursig]

More info:
http://www.sgnhs.org/Augustus%20SGaudens%20CD-HTML/Index/index.htm