Benjamin Franklin – also known as the Benjamin Franklin Memorial, Benjamin Franklin Statue and Cogswell Historical Monument[1] – is an outdoor sculpture in Washington Square, San Francisco, California.[2]
| Benjamin Franklin | |
|---|---|
 The statue in 2007 | |
 | |
| Artist | Unknown |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Sculpture: Bronze Base: Granite |
| Subject | Benjamin Franklin |
| Location | San Francisco, California, United States |
| 37°48′03″N 122°24′36″W / 37.80082°N 122.41000°W | |
Description edit
The smaller-than-life-size bronze statue of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, by an unknown sculptor, stands upon an ornate granite base, that contains a time capsule. There are inscriptions on all four sides of the base. Spigots once dispensed drinking water into three stone basins. The spigots have been removed.
History edit
Created as a Temperance fountain by crusader Henry D. Cogswell, the monument was originally installed at Kearny and Market Streets in 1879. In 1904, it was relocated to Washington Square.[3]
In 1979, 100 years after its creation, a time capsule that was hidden in the statue's base was removed and opened, and contained Cogswell's personal papers. A new time capsule, to be opened in 2079, was installed.[4]
In popular culture edit
The statue is visible behind Richard Brautigan and Michaela Le Grand on the original cover of Brautigan's 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Benjamin Franklin, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Note: Control Number: IAS CA000016.
- ^ "Benjamin Franklin, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Note: Control Number: IAS CA000029.
- ^ Myrick, David F. (1972). San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. Howell-North Books. p. 139. ISBN 9780831070939. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ Time capsules in San Francisco, from Using San Francisco History.
External links edit
