
Collage by E.J. Lefavour
That the statue at Gloucester City Hall is a version of the Statue of Freedom and was dedicated September 11, 1879? It is bronze on a base of Rockport granite. She stands 6′ tall and the base is 9.6′ tall. Erected by Col. Allen Post 45, GAR (in memory of the Civil War soldiers and sailors). It was created by an unknown artist using an unknown model, and was a mass-produced item for just such memorials. I personally like the version we have, where she is holding her sword in one hand and a broken shackle in the other.
The original Statue of Freedom was designed by Thomas Crawford and installed on top of the dome of the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC late in 1863 (small photo to right). Crawford died before she was completed. She is a female figure whose right hand holds the hilt of a sheathed sword while a laurel wreath of victory and the Shield of the United States are clasped in her left hand. She wears a military helmet adorned with stars and an eagle’s head which is itself crowned by an umbrella-like crest of feathers. She looks overly encumbered, and not very free to me.
E.J. Lefavour
www.khanstudiointernational.com
About E.J.
Artist, researcher, spiritual traveler of this fascinating orb we inhabit, lover of life and all it has to offer.
Hi everyone out there in GMG land. My name is Ellen “E.J.” Lefavour (a/k/a “Ejay Khan” – the pseudonym I used during my years as a political activist artist). I am a newcomer to Cape Ann, and thrilled to be a new contributor to Good Morning Gloucester. I am a painter and photographer who has lived and worked as an artist for 20 years, since leaving the corporate world in 1990 to pursue my passion. My contributions to GMG will consist of images (either my paintings, photographs, or the occasional video) and a little history about the image, called “Did you Know?” I hope to come up with tidbits of information that people don’t already know, or had forgotten they knew. As I am new here, everything is new and fascinating to me, especially the amazing history, so bear with me if I post something that is common knowledge – I’ll eventually come up with something that’s new to you. Please take a minute to comment on my posts, like them or not, especially if you have corrections or something to add, as that is how I, and all of us, learn. Have a Good Morning Gloucester, and a blessed day.
thank you for yet another great interesting post!
Wonder how many times most of us have walked past her, never paying any mind —let alone look up and ask “what does she represent?”
Why was she erected there?
When?
Thanks EJ for illuminating her! All around us lies beauty.
She actually represents the Pagan Goddess, Diana Goddess of War and Victory. She was also known by other names in other cultures such as Isis, Ishtar, Athena, Venus. This is also the case with The Statue of Liberty. If you study occultic symbolism, you will see all the bells and whistles in the design of this statue along with the pentagram that is positioned beneath her. These are supposedly very powerful symbols for generating energy. The eagle is usually a stand in for The Pheonix another major symbol in paganism. The Laurel, the stars, the sword … well I’m sure you can put it all together if you do a little research. These are all pagan symbols and the numbers of stars and such also have great significance. Hard to believe but many founding members of our government, as well as many today, were members of Masonic Orgs and they were involved in the design of these monuments. The designs are in line with The Ancient Mysteries a practice that the Masonic Orgs are rooted in. Kinda makes you wonder???