Electricity, Fidelity, Steam, (sculpture)

Object Details

Notes
Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.
Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 233.
Image on file.
Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, F-12.
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Summary
Two spandrel figures and one keystone figure adorn the arch over the carriage entrance to the building. Electricity is represented by a winged female figure flying over the left spandrel, her arms raised and her dress swirling around her. She holds up a lightning bolt with her proper right hand and a scroll with her proper left hand. Her thin dress swirls around her and her feathered wings stretch out behind her. Steam is represented by a winged male figure flying over the right spandrel, his arms reaching out holding a small locomotive. A bit of drapery swirls around his legs and his webbed wings stretch out behind him. Fidelity is represented by a keystone head of a female located at the top of the arch. She stares straight ahead, her long hair curling about her face. Around her neck is a choker adorned with a cameo of a seated dog.
Data Source
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
Date
1856
Control number
IAS DC000152
sculptor
Butti, Guido
architect
Walter, Thomas Ustick 1804-1887
Mills, Robert
Type
Sculptures-Outdoor Sculpture
Sculptures-Relief
Sculptures-Architectural component
Sculptures
Medium
Reliefs: marble
Owner/Location
Administered by United States General Services Administration Washington District of Columbia
Located Old Post Office Department 701 E Street, N.W Over arched carriage entrance on 8th Street, N.W Washington District of Columbia
Topic
Allegory--Arts & Sciences--Technology
Allegory--Quality--Obedience
Architecture--Vehicle--Train
Landscape--Weather--Lightning
Object--Written Matter--Scroll
Record ID
siris_ari_323797
Usage
Usage conditions apply