Name/Title
"Temple to Liberty"Description
Sculpture of a woman holding a shield with right arm raised and standing on a globe.Type of Sculpture
Free StandingArtwork Details
Medium
BronzeSubject
Female representation of "Liberty"Context
Henry Kirke Bush-Brown created this maquette for an unrealized monument to the virtues of Liberty, intended to be located on Lee Highway in Arlington, Virginia. Bush-Brown described its genesis: "I made it during the late war to give emphasis to the principle, afterwards so well enunciated by President Wilson, that only when nations have liberty to determine their own government without fear, can we hope for enduring peace. She stands on a hemisphere representing the western continents of North and South America whose nations have attained their several liberties and no longer war against each other.” (See October 12, 1928, letter from H. K. Bush-Brown to Henry Herring, Chairman, National Sculpture Society. Bush-Brown Family Papers, Smith College, Sophia Smith Collection, Northampton, MA.) The maquette may be seen in the portrait of H. K. Bush-Brown by his wife, Margaret White Lesley Bush-Brown, also in the Arts Club of Washington collection.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Henry Kirke Bush-BrownRole
SculptorDate made
1917Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
Date is inscribed on base of sculpture.Dimensions
Height
15-1/2 inWidth
6 inDepth
7 inLocation
Building
106 South GalleryAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
1924Acquired From
Henry Kirke Bush-BrownNotes
Arts Club of Washington, Records and History, Vol. 1 states that the bronze was a gift from the artist.General Notes
Note Type
BackgroundNote
Sculpture is depicted in the background of Margaret White Lesley Bush-Brown's portrait of her husband Henry Kirke Bush-Brown.Update Date
September 9, 2025