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Statue of Robert Burns (Milwaukee)

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Coordinates: 43°2′48.253″N 87°53′48.691″W / 43.04673694°N 87.89685861°W / 43.04673694; -87.89685861
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Robert Burns
ArtistWilliam Grant Stevenson
Year1908 (USA)
Typebronze
Dimensions370 cm (144 in)
LocationNorth Prospect Ave. and East Knapp St., Milwaukee
Coordinates43°2′48.253″N 87°53′48.691″W / 43.04673694°N 87.89685861°W / 43.04673694; -87.89685861

Robert Burns is a public art statue of the Scottish national poet Robert Burns by the Scottish artist William Grant Stevenson. The Burns Monument is composed of a bronze statue, two bronze bas reliefs, and an engraved plinth of Nova Scotia pink granite. W.G. Stephenson is credited with creating the bronze statue and the bronze bas reliefs. The Burns Monument was donated to the City of Milwaukee by James A. Bryden.[1]

The Burns Monument is located in Burns Commons on the east side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] The Burns Monument stands within a triangular park, referred to as the Burns Triangle[2], that is bounded by North Prospect Ave., East Knapp St., and North Franklin Pl. [3] The bronze figure depicts the popular Scottish poet standing, facing South, with a notebook in one hand.[4] The statue depiction of Robert Burns is reminiscent of the paintings by Alexander Nasmyth[5], showing Burns as a young man. Burns is dressed in a "claw-hammer" coat, knee breeches, vest, cravat, and woolen hose. In his left hand, Burns is holding a notebook with fingers in between the pages. In his right hand, Burns is holding a quill pen. [6]

All four sides of the granite plinth are engraved, with bronze bas reliefs installed on the western and eastern faces. The western bas relief, entitled “Burns at the Plough”, depicts a scene from Burns' early life as the ploughman poet. Under western relief, engraved in the granite is the text, "The poetic genius of my country found me at the plough and threw her inspiring mantle over me". The eastern bas relief, entitled "A Cotter's Saturday Night", depicts a scene from the Burns' poem of the same name. Under the eastern relief, the granite plinth is engraved with the text, "From scenes like These old scotia's Grandeur springs."

William G. Stevenson was a prolific Scottish sculptor and a member of the Royal Scottish Academy; elected 1896. W.G. Stevenson worked out of the Dean Studio in Edingburgh, Scotland with his brother and fellow sculptor, David W. Stevenson, RSA.[7][8] W.G. Stevenson first became world famous for his Robert Burns sculptures in 1879 when his marble statue was selected amongst 21 competitors as the best statue for the Kay Park Burns Monument in Kilmarnock, Scotland.[9][10]

Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock

While the Kilmarnock Burns and the Milwaukee Burns statues are similar, under close inspection it can be seen that the two statues have distinctly different arm positions and hand gestures. [11] Additionally, the Kilmarnock statue was chiseled from marble while the Milwaukee Burns statue was cast in bronze. [12] Burns statues created by W.G. Stevenson and the Dean Studio can also be found in Denver[13], Chicago[14], and New Brunswick[15].

The Burns Monument was donated to the City of Milwaukee by James Anderson Bryden, a Scottish immigrant born in Bankshill, near Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire. James A. Bryden's family came to USA in 1840, first making a home in Utica, New York. The Bryden family moved to Milwaukee in 1852 and James Bryden began working in the grain trade. [6] Bryden's early years were spent working on the farm, which later in life helped him during his chance meeting with Abraham Lincoln. [16] James Bryden's early years on the farm are also said to have influenced his love for the poetic works of Robert Burns, known in Scotland as the Ploughman Poet.

The Burns Monument unveiling ceremony was held on Saturday, June 26, 1909 at 2pm. The day's events began as a crowd of several hundred assembled at the Plankinton House and moved in procession to Burns Monument, led by the Caledonian Pipe Band. An invocation was given to the attendees by Rev. Frederick Edwards.  The Burns song, "There Was a Lad Was Born in Kyle" was performed by the Lyric Glee Club.  Introductory remarks were given by the chairman of the day, Mr. Andrew D. Agnew. The statue was unveiled by Miss Juneau Theiline McGee, the great-great grand-daughter of Solomon Juneau; the first mayor of Milwaukee. [17][18]

Judge Joseph V. Quarles gave the official Presentation of the Burns Monument to the City of Milwaukee.  Mayor David Stuart Rose accepted the monument on behalf of the city.  The Lyric Glee Club sang another famous Burns song, "Scots Wha Ha'e", for the audience. After the musical interlude, rhetorical addresses were given to the audience by John G. Gregory, Hon. Ogden H. Fethers, and General Arthur MacArthur Jr. The exercises concluded with the audience and Lyric Glee Club singing the popular and well-known Robert Burns' song, "Auld Lang Syne." [19][18]

James Bryden was President of the Saint Andrew's Society of the City of Milwaukee from 1898-99. [20] The members of the Saint Andrew's Society have helped celebrate and care for the Burns Monument over the many decades since James Bryden donated it to Milwaukee. The members of the Saint Andrew's Society gather annually at the Burns Monument to lay a wreath at the base of the monument in celebration of Robert Burns' birthday on January 25th. [21][22]

Given the age of the Burns Monument, maintenance is required periodically to clean the statue of superficial corrosion and restore the protective coating. In 1994, the Saint Andrew's Society organized private donations to fund an effort to clean and restore the monument. In 2010, the Saint Andrew's Society, in collaboration with the Milwaukee County Parks, installed a walkway of engraved granite pavers around the base of the Burns Monument so visitors could see all four sides of the monument without walking in the flower beds. In 2013, granite benches were privately donated and installed in the Burns Triangle, in collaboration with the Milwaukee County Parks, to allow visitors to sit and view the statue. The granite benches are engraved with selections of Burns poetry.



See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Robert Burns, (sculpture)". Art Inventories Catalog-SIRIS. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Burns Commons", Wikipedia, 2019-11-22, retrieved 2019-11-22
  3. ^ "Burns Commons Park Map" (PDF). Milwaukee County Parks. August 1, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Buck, Diane (1995). Outdoor Sculpture in Milwaukee. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society. pp. 6–8. ISBN 978-0-87020-276-6.
  5. ^ "Alexander Nasmyth, Robert Burns, 1759 - 1796. Poet". Scottish National Portrait Gallery. 1787. Retrieved November 22, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "J.A. Bryden Dead After Operation". Evening Wisconsin. June 10, 1913.
  7. ^ "William Grant Stevenson", Wikipedia, 2019-10-02, retrieved 2019-11-22
  8. ^ "William Grant Stevenson ARSA, RSA". University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Ramble Round Kilmarnock - THE KILMARNOCK BURNS, MONUMENT AND KAY PARK - Part 1". www.electricscotland.com. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  10. ^ "Burns Monument, Kilmarnock", Wikipedia, 2019-10-23, retrieved 2019-11-22
  11. ^ "A statue of the Scottish national poet Robert Burns in Kilmarnock,..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  12. ^ "Burns Monument, Kilmarnock", Wikipedia, 2019-10-23, retrieved 2019-11-22
  13. ^ "Robert Burns Monument, city park, Denver, Colo". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  14. ^ "Robert Burns Memorial | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  15. ^ MyNB (2015-11-25). "Robbie Burns Statue". My New Brunswick. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  16. ^ "J. A. Bryden Dead". The Milwaukee Journal. June 10, 1913. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  17. ^ "James A. Bryden's Gift is Unveiled". The Milwaukee Journal. June 26, 1909. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Figure of Burns, The Scotch Bard, Unveiled with Fitting Ceremonies". Evening Wisconsin. June 26, 1909.
  19. ^ Agnew, Andrew (1909). "Burns Monument Exercises". Milwaukee County Historical Society. Retrieved November 22, 2019. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ A list of Office-Bearers of the Saint Andrew's Society Since its Organization. Milwaukee, WI USA: Saint Andrew's Society of the City of Milwaukee. 1929. pp. 44, 45.
  21. ^ "In Memory of the 'Patriot Bard'". Milwaukee Sentinel. January 25, 1926. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  22. ^ "Birthday". Milwaukee Sentinel. January 21, 1946. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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