Statue of John Brown at the John Brown Museum

What it is

This is a photograph of a bronze statue of John Brown, made by sculptor George Fite Waters in 1933. Micah Holmquist took the photo on 17 August 2012, and it shows the statue at the John Brown Museum. The statue is a later memorial, not an object from Brown's own time. The picture shows a bearded man in a long coat and boots standing on a rough stone pedestal in a park, with a plaque reading in part "John Brown" and flower planters on each side.

Why it matters

Statues like this one were made long after John Brown died in 1859, so they show how later Americans chose to honor him. As an abolitionist, Brown has been remembered in very different ways over the decades, and each memorial reflects the people who chose to build it. A sculpture tells us about the sculptor's time as much as about the man it shows.

Look closer

• What details of the statue's clothing, pose and setting did the sculptor choose to show?
• Why might a museum or community place a memorial in a park, and who decided to honor Brown this way?
• What does a 2012 photograph add to our understanding of a 1933 statue?