Frederick Keep Monument
Frederick Keep Monument is a public artwork by American artist James Earle Fraser located in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C. The monument was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1993. This sculpture rests at the site of the grave of Frederick and Florence Keep and their child.[1]
| Frederick Keep Monument | |
|---|---|
 Monument in 2010 | |
| Artist | James Earle Fraser |
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 260 cm × 162 cm × 55 cm (102 in × 63.6 in × 21.6 in) |
| Location | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| 38°56′48.63″N 77°0′42.32″W | |
| Owner | Rock Creek Cemetery |
Description
The main portion of this sculpture features a bronze female and male couple standing on a low rectangular base. The female raises both of her arms with her proper right and left hands resting on their respective shoulders. The male figure stands closely on her proper left side with his proper right arm behind her. Both of the figures are bare chested and wear loosely draped Roman-style drapery that is rolled at the waist, as well as Roman sandals. The female figure has a cape on over the back of her head and she looks downward. The male figure gazes out to the distance. They stand in front of a narrow granite wall.
The lower right side of the sculpture is signed: J. E. FRASER The lower left side of the sculpture is marked: Kunst-Foundry N.Y.
The back of the granite base is inscribed:
FREDERIC A. KEEP
- DIED JUNE 2, 1911
- AGE 53 YEARS
- FLORENCE SHEFFIELD BOARDMAN KEEP
- DIED JAN 26, 1954
- AGE 89 YEARS
- INFANT OF F AND F. KEEP
- DIED OCT. 6, 1902[1]
Front
Front
Detail
Detail
Artist
Acquisition
The sculpture was installed just before or on October 3, 1920.[1]
Background
Frederick Keep was a Washington, D.C. businessman. His wife, Florence, was the sister of Mabel Thorp Boardman, one of the founders of the American Red Cross, and American socialite Josephine Porter Boardman.[1] Her father, William J. Boardman, a lawyer and philanthropist who died August 2, 1915, is also buried in Rock Creek Cemetery.[2][3][4]
Florence socialized with U.S. Secretary of State John Hay, Agnes Meyer, Katharine Graham, Ruth Draper, and President William Taft and his wife.[5][6][7][8] A number of Keep's personal belongings were donated to the National Museum of American History by her sister Josephine, including a late 1920s evening dress that was exhibited in the Hall of American Costume from 1964-1973.[9]
Condition
This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and was described as needing treatment urgently.[1]
References
- Save Outdoor Sculptures! (1993). "Frederick Keep Monument (sculpture)". SOS!. Smithsonian. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "William J. Boardman Dead" (PDF). New York Times. 3 August 1915. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "Society in Washington" (PDF). New York Times. 11 March 1902. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "Society". Page 5. The Washington Herald. 1912. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "Society in Washington" (PDF). New York Times. 17 April 1904. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- Graham, Katharine. Katharine Graham's Washington. Random House, 2009.
- Draper, Ruth. The letters of Ruth Draper: self-portrait of an actress, 1920-1956. SIU Press, 1999, p 38.
- "Society in Washington". Page 6. New York Tribune. 1909. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "Dress, 1-Piece". Costume Collection - Women's Dresses. Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
Sources
- James M. Goode, The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, ISBN 0-87474-138-6, p. 343