Colonel Richard Owen (bust)
Encyclopedia
The bust of Colonel Richard Owen is a public artwork by American
artist Belle Kinney Scholz
, located inside the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis
, Indiana
, United States
. The bronze bust was created in 1913 as a memorial to Owen from Confederate
veteran associations in recognition of his courtesy to Confederate prisoners of war while he was commandant of Camp Morton
during the American Civil War
.
It is approximately 70 inches tall (including base), 40 inches wide, and 21 inches deep.
military uniform, including a cape-like overcoat. It portrays Owen from the waist up with his arms crossed in front of him as he gazes down to the proper right. The upper base has a wave motif carved into a border. The center base contains an inscription written with affixed bronze letters that reads "Colonel Richard Owen/Commandant/Camp Morton Prison 1862/Tribute by Confederate Prisoners/of War and Their Friends/for his Courtesy and Kindness." Beneath the inscription, 13 bronze stars (each approximately 3/4 inches wide) are arranged in a single horizontal line. The bottom base is bordered by a row of leaves carved into the stone. On the top proper left side of the center base is the inscription, "Belle Kinney, Sc". On the bottom, proper left side of the bust is another inscription that reads, "Belle Kinney/NY". The Indiana State Museum currently lists the piece in excellent condition.
magazine and had been imprisoned at Camp Morton while it was under Owen's supervision. Initially, Cunningham only planned to commission for a tablet honoring Owen. He asked for donations for the memorial in the Confederate Veteran from anyone who had been under Owen's command at Camp Morton. He received such a strong response that he had Kinney Scholz, who herself had family members who fought for the Confederacy, create a bronze bust instead. It was dedicated at the Indiana Statehouse in 1913, with Civil War veterans from both sides in attendance. The sculpture was called, "a bond between North and South." A duplicate of the Owen bust can be found in Owen Hall at Indiana University
in Bloomington
, Indiana.
The honorable William W. Spencer, a member of the House of Representatives at the time put forth a bill to approve the creation of the memorial. It read, "Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring therein, that the Governor of this State be authorized to permit the surviving Confederate prisoners who were confined in Camp Morton during the War between the States to erect a tablet to the memory of Col. Richard Owen for the kindness shown said Confederate prisoners, and
that the Governor be authorized to designate the spot where said tablet shall be placed, either in the Statehouse, on the grounds of the Statehouse, or on the soldiers' monument in the city of Indianapolis." The bill was approved unanimously by both houses.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Belle Kinney Scholz
Belle Kinney Scholz
Belle Marshall Kinney was a Euro-American sculptor, born in Tennessee, worked and died in New York state.In 1897, at age 7, she won first prize at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition for a bust of her father. In 1905, at age 15, she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Art Institute of Chicago...
, located inside the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The bronze bust was created in 1913 as a memorial to Owen from Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
veteran associations in recognition of his courtesy to Confederate prisoners of war while he was commandant of Camp Morton
Camp Morton
Camp Morton was a Union prisoner-of-war camp located in Indianapolis, Indiana during the American Civil War. It was named for Indiana governor Oliver Morton, who was the governor of Indiana during the War. It lasted from 1861-1865...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
It is approximately 70 inches tall (including base), 40 inches wide, and 21 inches deep.
Description
The Colonel Richard Owen bust is a bronze work on a three-part limestone base. The bust depicts Owen in a UnionUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
military uniform, including a cape-like overcoat. It portrays Owen from the waist up with his arms crossed in front of him as he gazes down to the proper right. The upper base has a wave motif carved into a border. The center base contains an inscription written with affixed bronze letters that reads "Colonel Richard Owen/Commandant/Camp Morton Prison 1862/Tribute by Confederate Prisoners/of War and Their Friends/for his Courtesy and Kindness." Beneath the inscription, 13 bronze stars (each approximately 3/4 inches wide) are arranged in a single horizontal line. The bottom base is bordered by a row of leaves carved into the stone. On the top proper left side of the center base is the inscription, "Belle Kinney, Sc". On the bottom, proper left side of the bust is another inscription that reads, "Belle Kinney/NY". The Indiana State Museum currently lists the piece in excellent condition.
Historical information
S.A. Cunningham commissioned the memorial to Owen for the Indiana Statehouse in 1911. Cunningham was a longtime editor of the Confederate VeteranConfederate Veteran
The Confederate Veteran was a newsmagazine, published monthly from 1893-1932. It furnished Confederate veterans of the American Civil War and other readers with articles and pictures regarding that war. It remains a valuable historical resource, as the archives contain many thousands of names and...
magazine and had been imprisoned at Camp Morton while it was under Owen's supervision. Initially, Cunningham only planned to commission for a tablet honoring Owen. He asked for donations for the memorial in the Confederate Veteran from anyone who had been under Owen's command at Camp Morton. He received such a strong response that he had Kinney Scholz, who herself had family members who fought for the Confederacy, create a bronze bust instead. It was dedicated at the Indiana Statehouse in 1913, with Civil War veterans from both sides in attendance. The sculpture was called, "a bond between North and South." A duplicate of the Owen bust can be found in Owen Hall at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana.
The honorable William W. Spencer, a member of the House of Representatives at the time put forth a bill to approve the creation of the memorial. It read, "Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring therein, that the Governor of this State be authorized to permit the surviving Confederate prisoners who were confined in Camp Morton during the War between the States to erect a tablet to the memory of Col. Richard Owen for the kindness shown said Confederate prisoners, and
that the Governor be authorized to designate the spot where said tablet shall be placed, either in the Statehouse, on the grounds of the Statehouse, or on the soldiers' monument in the city of Indianapolis." The bill was approved unanimously by both houses.
Artist
Regarding the Owen bust, Kinney Scholz said, "It was my aim to portray such a man as he might look while pondering over the meaning of the great struggle in which he was then taking part - his sympathetic heart touched by the suffering it caused, yet realizing its necessity . . . no work I have ever done gave me as much pleasure as the Owen bust."See also
- Benjamin Harrison (Peglow)
- Frank O'Bannon (Ryden)
- Henry F. Schricker (Rubins)
- Matthew E. Welsh (Edwards)
- Otis Bowen (Lanagan)
- Robert D. Orr (Ingle)
- Sherman Minton (Gage)
- Stephen Neal (Leonard)