| Additional Information: | THE LIFE-SIZE BRONZE FIGURE OF DEWEY RESTS ON A GRANITE BASE THAT IS SEVEN FEET HIGH. THE INSCRIPTION ON THE BASE READS, "NELSON DEWEY, FIRST GOVERNOR, STATE OF WISCONSIN." THE STATUE WAS FOUND TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE SURVEY EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR THE STRUCTURE IS ARCHITECTURE\
ENGINEERING.
ARCHITECTURAL STATEMENT:
THE STATUE OF NELSON DEWEY, UNVEILED AND FORMALLY DEDICATED ON JULY 23, 1907, IS A LOCALLY SIGNIFICANT SCULPTURAL WORK AND A PIVOTAL ELEMENT OF THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE HISTORIC DISTRICT. THE SEATED BRONZE FIGURE OF WISCONSIN'S FIRST GOVERNOR WAS DESIGNED BY ITALIAN SCULPTOR GAETANO TRENTANOVE (1858-1937) WHO, FOLLOWING THE 1893 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMMISSIONS IN WISCONSIN. TRENTANOVE'S STATUE OF DEWEY WAS "SAID TO BE A SPLENDID LIKENESS OF THE LATE GOVERNOR." (A)
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
GAETANO TRENTANOVE WAS BORN IN FLORENCE, ITALY, IN 1858 AND STUDIED BOTH IN THAT CITY AND IN ROME UNDER PROFESSORS GIOVANNI DUPRE AND AUGUSTO RIVALTO. TRENTANOVE WAS FIRST RECOGNIZED IN 1889 AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION WHEN HIS MARBLE STATUE OF VICTOR HUGO RECEIVED AN AWARD. FOUR YERAS LATER AT CHICAGO'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, HIS WORK, "THE LAST OF THE SPARTANS," IMPRESSED NUMEROUS VISITORS, INCLUDING WILLIAM CRAMER FROM MILWAUKEE WHO PRUCHASED IT FOR THE CITY'S MUSEUM. THE SALE OF THE STATUE, WHICH INTRODUCED TRENTANOVE TO SEVERAL PROMINENT WISCONSIN RESIDENTS, LED TO A NUMBER OF COMMISSIONS IN THE STATE. THESE WORKS ARE LOCATED MAINLY IN OSHKOSH AND MILWAUKEE AND INCLUDE STATUES OF CHEIF OSHKOSH AND CARL SCHURZ IN OSHKOSH AND PORTRAIT BUSTS OF FREERICK LAYTON, DAVID ADLER, BENJAMIN WIEL, AND GUIDO PFISTER IN MILWAUKEE. TRENTANOVE WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR STATUES AND MONUMENTS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. (STATUE OF FATHER MARQUETTE IN STATUARY HALL AND A MONUMENT TO DANIEL WEBSTER) AND ST. LOUIS (MONUMENT OT CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS). (B,C)
THE STATUE OF NELSON DEWEY LOCATED ON LANCASTER'S COURTHOUSE SQUARE WAS DEDICATED IN JULY 1907, AT A CEREMONY ATTENDED BY GOVERNOR DAVIDSON AND EX-GOVERNORS PECK AND TAYLOR. THE MONUMENT WAS FUNDED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE WHICH AT THE TIME OF DEWEY'S DEATH (1899) APPROPRIATED $5,000. IT IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIME HOW THE COMMISSION FOR THE STATUE WAS AWARDED. |
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