Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

The Ideal Scout

The Ideal Scout, also known as The Boy Scout, is a work by Canadian sculptor R. Tait McKenzie. Inspired by the Boy Scouts organization, McKenzie chose several young scouts to model in uniform. In 1915, he presented an 18-inch bronze version to the executive board along with the rights to royalties from copies. The scout’s uncovered head was meant to suggest reverence, obedience to authority, and discipline, while the hatchet symbolized truthfulness and the rejection of treachery, cowardice, and dishonesty. A life-sized version was unveiled in Philadelphia in 1937 and stood there until 2013. Replicas are installed at scouting councils across the United States, as well as in London, Ottawa, and on William D. Boyce’s grave in Ottawa, Illinois.

The Ideal Scout bronze statue on a stone pedestal outside a modern building with a blue sign and American flag.
The Ideal Scout statue stands outside the Heart of Virginia Council Leadership Center in Henrico.
December 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ideal Scout statue stands on a stone base in a paved plaza.
The Ideal Scout statue by Robert Tait McKenzie in Philadelphia.
March 2006 © · Public domain
The Ideal Scout statue of a youth in uniform on a stone pedestal outdoors.
The Ideal Scout stands on a stone pedestal beside a building and decorative gate.
June 2012 © · Public domain
The Ideal Scout sculpture stands in front of a stone building with arched entryways and carved details.
The Ideal Scout statue in front of a classical stone building in Philadelphia.
March 2006 © · CC BY-SA 1.0
Stone pedestal of The Ideal Scout with a bronze dedication plaque and the statue’s booted feet visible above it.
The Ideal Scout monument shown in close-up, with its bronze plaque and the statue’s boots visible at the top of the stone base.
December 2007 © Sue Lyons-Oleary · Public domain

Identification

TitleThe Ideal Scout
Alternate titleThe Boy Scout; El Scout Ideal
TypeSculpture

Creator

ArtistR. Tait McKenzie
Artist nationalityCanadian
Artist lifespan1867–1938

Historical context

Commissioned bythe Boy Scouts organization in Philadelphia
Date delivered1915
Recipientthe executive board of the Boy Scouts organization in Philadelphia
Gift includedroyalty rights from sales of copies
McKenzie roleserved for more than 20 years on the executive council of the Boy Scouts organization in Philadelphia
Known copies18 copies in the Smithsonian American Art Museum database
Copies made forScouting America councils across the United States; Gilwell Park, London, England; Scouts Canada's national office in Ottawa; Australia

Physical characteristics

Height18 inches

Materials

MaterialBronze

Appearance

Models usedseveral young scouts in uniform
Head depictionbareheaded
Held objecta hatchet
Depicted figurean ideal scout

Iconography and meaning

Head symbolismreverence, obedience to authority, and discipline
Hatchet symbolismtruthfulness; intended as something that would never be used for wanton destruction, but instead be applied against treason, treachery, cowardice, discourtesy, dishonesty, and dirt

Location and ownership

Original locationin front of the Cradle of Liberty Council at 22nd Street and Winter Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Life-sized version unveiled atthe Philadelphia Council's office at 22nd and Winter Streets
Life-sized version unveiled onJune 12, 1937
Removed from original location2013
Removal reasonafter the successor Cradle of Liberty Council vacated the building
Replica locationsGilwell Park, London, England; Ottawa, Illinois, on the grave of William D. Boyce; Scouting America councils across the United States; Scouts Canada's national office, Ottawa
Donation to Gilwell Parkdonated in 1966 by the Boy Scouts of America
Received by PresidentPresident Calvin Coolidge
Reception locationoutside the White House
Reception date1927
William D. Boyce significanceFounder of the Boy Scouts of America, who modeled the organization on Great Britain's Boy Scouts Association

Other

Descriptionthe most famous statue by Robert Tait McKenzie