Any idea what this is and where it is (or was)? GoDCer Christina sent this along yesterday and wants everyone’s help in identifying it. So, put your thoughts in the comments below.
Help a GoDCer Identify This Mysterious Image
9 thoughts on “Help a GoDCer Identify This Mysterious Image”
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Where did she find the picture? What do you know of its provenance?
Wow, no idea what or where that could be.
It definitely looks like one of the “Standing Lincoln” statues, of which there were a number of copies that made their way around the world. This might not be in D.C…. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Lincoln
It looks like it might be made out of wood with stucco over it, like so many monumental buildings at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Perhaps it was a temporary structure for the display of the statue inside it. We had a wooden Civil War monument for many years here in Lancaster, Ohio.
The two doors say exit, so it was obviously a place you could go. One of the seals is the seal of the United States, so is it a memorial to a president? And there are 2 rounds with dates – it looks like the one on the right says 1825 or 1925.
I agree it looks like one of the plaster casts of “Standing Lincoln” by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. One was displayed in DC in 1908. Other cities it was displayed between 1908-1915 were New York City, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit.
I think this might be a structure from the Sesqui-Centennial International Exhibition held in Philadelphia, May 1926.It does look like Saint-Gauden’s statue with the exception of the hair…might be an early model.
The row of circles on the top has a representation of the Great Seal of the United States. The American Eagle’s beak is facing left where 13 arrows (for the colonies) are placed. That is interpreted as war time. The two doors on the far sides are marked EXIT. There appears to be a room/facility/exhibit behind the statue which is accessed through the center doors. The Ford is a 1925.
I’m voting that this doesn’t seem like it’s in DC. I’ve been showing the photo to family and friends, old time DC’ers, and no one can place it.
Scoop is correct – it is the Illinois Building at the Sesquicentennial in Philadelphia. If you go to the http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/ page, you can search for it in the DOR Sesquicentennial section.