Hypothetical view of the Lafayette Statue in front of the Old State House
ArtistDrawn by
Claude L. Yates
(American, 1890 - 1945)
Date1928
MediumPhoto-engraved metal printing plate mounted on wood
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 11 1/4 x 8 5/8in. (28.6 x 21.9cm)
Plate (height x width): 11 1/4 x 8 5/8in. (28.6 x 21.9cm)
Mount (height x width x depth): 11 1/2 x 8 7/8 x 7/8in. (29.2 x 22.5 x 2.2cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Georgia Silliman
Object number2009.20.0
DescriptionHypothetical view of the east front of the Old State House depicts Paul Wayland Bartlett's statue of Lafayette in the middle of a small park surrounded by grassy lawns and young trees. Paved sidewalks and a fence surround the park. Trolley tracks are in the street. The Isle of Safety and a trolley car are visible in the left background. The Aetna Bank Building is in the right background. Clouds are in the sky. A lamp post is in the foreground.
NotesHistorical Note: Claude Lorraine Yates's picture of the statue of Lafayette by Paul Wayland Bartlett in front of the Old State House was published in the gravure section of the Hartford Courant on March 4, 1928. An article accompanying the engraving proposed that the statue should be erected in this location after the old Post Office building was removed. The statue was originally intended for Lafayette Square at the intersection of Washington Street and Capitol Avenue, but a controversy arose when Hartford's Italian community, headed by alderman Rocco D. Pallotti, attempted to change the name of the square to Columbus Green. The Connecticut Historical Society entered a "vigorous protest" against this name change. In the end, the name Lafayette Square was retained and the statue was installed in that location. The dedication took place on Armistice Day in 1932. (Finlay 2/24/2009)Source Note: The composition of Yates' picture and the form of the small park are clearly based on the 1834 view of the Old State House by Edward Williams Clay. The Connecticut Historical Society owns Clay's original watercolor of this view (1958.71.1) and a lithograph, probably by D.W. Kellogg, that was based on it. (Finlay 2/24/2009)
Status
Not on view
