People Commemorated for their Big American Dreams
George Washington, José Martí, and Christopher Columbus all have statues in New York City commemorating their leadership, which they exercised for good or ill. You'll see what I mean in the captions.
A bass relief of Washington kneeling in the snow. The sculpture is outside the Federal Building on Wall Street where he was sworn in as the first president of the United States. His American Dream came true--he won the war so he kept his life and his beloved farm, Mount Vernon. He put them both at risk to fight England.
All the rest of these shots were taken within footsteps of Columbus Circle. Here is a cool statue on the southern edge of Central Park.
Sculptor Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (-1876–1973) created this larger-than-life bronze equestrian statue depicting Cuban patriot and author José Martí (1853–1895)
Another view of José.
The Maine Monument commemorates the 260 American sailors who perished when the battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba.
Statue of Christopher Columbus, whom Native Americans remember not as a hero but as a torturer, enslaver, and tormentor of indigenous peoples.
Last spring, Woytuk's sculptures graced Columbus Circle.
Nothing like African wildlife in New York City on a brisk spring day.
To be honest, I've wondered what it was like to be so famous that somebody made a statue of you. Maybe I could sell my soul to the Devil and gain the fame, or at least notoriety, that spurred Madame Tussaud to make a wax image of me. What about you? Have you ever thought you might like to see yourself in Madame Tussaud's? : )
