The Progress of Railroading
Encyclopedia
The Progress of Railroading is group of public artworks by American
artist Louis St. Gaudens
. This series of six sculptures were cut by Andrew E. Bernasconi, a high-grade Italian stone workman, between 1909 and 1911. These statues are located at Union Station
in Washington, D.C.
, United States
. The sculptures represent deities
related to rail transport in the United States
.
of the Union Station building. These granite sculptures are placed above three connected triumphal arches that make up the main entrance of the building. The six figures represent and mean:
The east and west figures are meant to deal with the operational system behind railroads and the center figures represent creativity.
The west section is inscribed:
The center is inscribed:
The east side is inscribed:
Two eagles also flank the left and right side of the arches.
of the building, therefore allegorical figures were chosen. Many people were consulted regarding what figures to have St. Gaudens sculpt including Charles W. Eliot
, the former president of Harvard University
.
program and was described as needing treatment.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Louis St. Gaudens
Louis St. Gaudens
Louis St. Gaudens , was a significant American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation....
. This series of six sculptures were cut by Andrew E. Bernasconi, a high-grade Italian stone workman, between 1909 and 1911. These statues are located at Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The sculptures represent deities
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
related to rail transport in the United States
Rail transport in the United States
Presently, most rail transport in the United States is based on freight train shipments. The U.S. rail industry has experienced repeated convulsions due to changing U.S. economic needs and the rise of automobile, bus, and air transport....
.
Description
Six figures which stand at 18 feet high are on the main facadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of the Union Station building. These granite sculptures are placed above three connected triumphal arches that make up the main entrance of the building. The six figures represent and mean:
- ArchimedesArchimedesArchimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
- MechanicsMechanicsMechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment.... - CeresCeres (mythology)In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres"...
- AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the... - ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
- ImaginationImaginationImagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...
or InspirationArtistic inspirationInspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavour. Literally, the word means "breathed upon," and it has its origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and... - ThemisThemisThemis is an ancient Greek Titaness. She is described as "of good counsel", and is the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom. Themis means "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally "that which is put in place", from the verb τίθημι, títhēmi, "to put"...
- Freedom or JusticeJusticeJustice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:... - ThalesThalesThales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
- ElectricityElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire... - PrometheusPrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
- FireFireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
The east and west figures are meant to deal with the operational system behind railroads and the center figures represent creativity.
The west section is inscribed:
- THE GREATEST DISCOVERIES
- ENABLING MAN TO LIVE IN VARIOUS CLIMATES
- USE MANY FOODS AND COMPEL THE
- FORCES OF NATURE TO DO HIS WORK
- ELECTRICITY - CARRIER OF LIGHT AND POWER
- DEVOURER OF TIME AND SPACE BEARER
- OF HUMAN SPEECH OVER LAND AND SEA
- GREATEST SERVANT OF MAN ITSELF UNKNOWN
- THOU HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET
The center is inscribed:
- SWEETENER OF HUT AND OF HALL
- BRINGER OF LIFE OUT OF NAUGHT
- FREEDOM O FAIREST OF ALL
- THE DAUGHTERS OF TIME AND THOUGHT
- MAN'S IMAGINATION HAS CONCEIVED ALL
- NUMBERS AND LETTERS ALL TOOLS VESSELS
- AND SHELTERS - EVERY ART AND TRADE ALL
- PHILOSOPHY AND POETRY - AND ALL POLITIES
- THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
The east side is inscribed:
- THE FARM - BEST HOME OF THE FAMILY - MAIN
- SOURCE OF NATIONAL WEALTH - FOUNDATION OF
- CIVILIZED SOCIETY - THE NATURAL PROVIDENCE
- THE OLD MECHANIC ARTS CONTROLLING NEW
- FORCES BUILD NEW HIGHWAYS FOR GOODS
- AND MEN OVERRIDE THE OCEAN AND MAKE
- THE VERY ETHER CARRY HUMAN THOUGHT
- THE DESERT SHALL REJOICE AND BLOSSOM
- AS THE ROSE
Two eagles also flank the left and right side of the arches.
Creation process
When the Station was being constructed debate erupted regarding "who" the figures would be or represent. Historical American figures were considered, however, they did not fit into the Baroque architectureBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
of the building, therefore allegorical figures were chosen. Many people were consulted regarding what figures to have St. Gaudens sculpt including Charles W. Eliot
Charles William Eliot
Charles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university...
, the former president of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Condition
The Progress of Railroading sculptures were surveyed in 1994 by the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture!Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
program and was described as needing treatment.
Further Reading
- Wasserman, James. The Secrets of Masonic Washington: A Guidebook to Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of America's Capital. Destiny Books, 2008. ISBN 1594772665