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

Bartholdi Fountain

Bartholdi Fountain is a monumental public fountain designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, later the creator of the Statue of Liberty. It was originally made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and cast by the Durenne foundry in France. Bartholdi offered the fountain to the exhibition for free, intending to sell it afterward, but after the fair closed it had no buyers. The U.S. Congress purchased it in 1878 and it was installed at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The fountain was removed in 1926, then placed in its current location at the United States Botanic Garden in 1932. A full restoration began in 2008, and the fountain returned to Bartholdi Park in spring 2011.

Bartholdi Fountain framed by yellow daffodils, with bronze figures supporting a basin and water spraying from the top.
Bartholdi Fountain rises above a bed of yellow daffodils on a clear day.
April 2013 © · Public domain
Bartholdi Fountain in a snowy park with a domed building visible through bare trees
The Bartholdi Fountain stands in a snow-covered park near the U.S. Botanic Garden.
March 2005 © · CC BY 2.0
Bartholdi Fountain with robed female statues and the U.S. Capitol dome in the background.
The Bartholdi Fountain sprays water beneath the U.S. Capitol dome in this black-and-white photograph.
April 2009 © · No restrictions
Bartholdi Fountain lit at dusk with water spraying into a circular basin, with the illuminated Capitol dome in the background.
Bartholdi Fountain glows at dusk with the U.S. Capitol dome rising behind it.
April 2012 © · Public domain
Children seated on the grass in front of the Bartholdi Fountain with water flowing into a surrounding pool.
Children sit on the grass before the Bartholdi Fountain in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
June 2013 © · No restrictions

Identification

TitleBartholdi Fountain
Typemonumental public fountain
Alternative nameThe Fountain of Light and Water

Creator

DesignerFrédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Designer notelater created the Statue of Liberty
Sculptor nationalityFrench

Historical context

Year created1876
Created forthe Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
Original purposemade for the Philadelphia World's Fair and intended to be sold afterward
Original locationcenter of the esplanade near the main entrance to the exposition

Discovery and provenance

Purchased bythe United States Congress in 1878 for $6,000, half of Bartholdi's original asking price
Removed and storedremoved and stored in 1926 to facilitate completion of the George Gordon Meade Memorial and landscaping improvements around the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
Relocation proposalin 1881, Secretary of State James Blaine suggested moving it to Dupont Circle near his new mansion, but the plan was dropped after James Garfield's assassination interrupted the discussions
Initial placement in Washington, D.C.at the base of Capitol Hill in 1878
Offered to the expositionoffered for free
After the expositionBartholdi found no buyers
Historic noteone of the cast-iron fountains by Durenne that won prizes at international exhibitions in 1862, 1867, and 1873
Cast bythe Durenne foundry in France
FoundryDurenne foundry, France

Location and ownership

Returned toBartholdi Park in spring 2011
Placed at current location1932
Current locationUnited States Botanic Garden, on the grounds of the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States

Physical characteristics

Central figuresthree kneeling tritons
Componentsa series of basins supported by sculptures of classical figures
Water featurewater spouts from a crown at the top, cascades to the smaller basin, then to the larger basin, and finally spills into the main basin
Upper basina smaller, higher basin supported by the tritons
Lightinginitially illuminated by gas lamps, later replaced by electric bulbs
Lower basin ornamentationa circle of twelve lamps
Pedestal decorationornamental seashells and three reptiles spouting water
Lower basin supportthree standing female figures on a triangular pedestal
Locationin the center of a large circular marble pool

Materials

Materialcast iron coated with bronze

History and restoration

Restoration began2008
Restoration authoritythe Architect of the Capitol
Restoration scopecomplete restoration of the fountain and its basin; first complete deconstruction and restoration since 1927
Restoration repairsrepaired deterioration to the metals inside and out
Restoration upgradesadded modern pumps and motors, a new water treatment and filtration system, and a zinc coating to preserve the original cast iron
Return datespring 2011

Significance

Historical significanceone of the first monuments in Washington, D.C. to be illuminated at night
Popularitya popular nighttime destination in the 1880s