Plan of a Washington Monument
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 23 13/16 × 14 9/16 in. (60.5 × 37 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008
Accession Number
2018.839.122
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1848, as America grappled with honoring its first president amid growing national pride, this wood engraving titled *Plan of a Washington Monument* an early architectural proposal for a grand tribute to George Washington. Created by engravers William Wallace and John William Orr, with printing by C. G. Graham and Co., the detailed sheet (23 13/16 × 14 9/16 in.) presents a precise blueprint-like rendering, likely one of many designs competing for the monument's final form. That same year, the cornerstone for the iconic obelisk in Washington, D.C., was laid, making this print a fascinating sn...
About the Artist
William Wallace|John William Orr|C. G. Graham and Co. (American) · 1856 –1915
American, 1856–1915