“The Signer”
This is a Philly statue I just don’t get!
“The Signer”– represented by Philly merchant George Clymer – looks toward the heavens while holding a founding document of the U.S. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of Real Philly History, Real Fast.”
My wife laughs at me … because I thought the person in this sculpture was looking through a small telescope.
Evidently, I’m wrong.
From everything I read, merchant George Clymer, the subject of “The Signer,” is looking skyward and holding a founding U.S. document.
Since he signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, he could be grasping either one.
I assume the sculptor, EvAngelos W. Frudakis, is trying to “capture the beauty of the fleeting moment, to arrest and contain it for all time.” That’s a Frudakis quote the Inquirer used in his 2019 obituary.
While I don’t quite “get” this statue, I do understand the elation Frudakis was trying to communicate – which probably was very short-lived.
Those signing the Declaration really were signing their death warrants. The U.S. faced one of the most powerful armies and navies in the entire world – with what was a rag-tag, ill-equipped army.
Their chances of success were minimal. Until Washington’s unexpected “Hail-Mary”victories at Trenton and Princeton, our chances looked very dim.
So these signers put everything on the line.
For that, I salute them.
Just not this representation of a signer.
Interesting Oddities:
This statue is located on property once owned by renowned portrait painter Gilbert Stuart. He’s probably best known for his painting of George Washington — which served as a model for Washington’s portrait on the $1 bill.
However, USHistory.org says that portrait is unfinished. Martha Washington commissioned it and wanted her and his portraits to hang side-by-side. Unfortunately, George Washington died and Martha’s portrait was never started.
Washington sat for a portrait on this very spot.
Fast Facts
Name: “The Signer”
Sculptor: EvAngelos W. Frudakis
Location: Signers Garden, 434–498 Chestnut Street, Phila. 19106
Commemorates: “The spirit and deeds of all who devoted their lives to the cause of American Freedom.”
Some Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenaeum_Portrait
https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/independence-signer.htm
https://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/things-to-do/signers-garden
https://www.theconstitutional.com/blog/2017/02/16/signers-garden
https://www.ushistory.org/tour/signers-park.htm