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Primary sourcePhotograph

Statue of Steuben

Bain News Service

An early 20th-century news photograph of a statue honoring Steuben, showing him in military dress atop a stepped pedestal.

Shows a statue erected to commemorate Steuben's military service and legacy in the United States.

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Black-and-white photograph of a glass negative showing a white marble-like statue of a standing man in a tricorn hat, long cloak, and military coat with a sash, on a stepped pedestal. Handwritten text reads STEUBEN STATUE.
Bain News Service, Statue of Steuben, glass negative.

About this source

What it is

This is a glass negative photograph from the Bain News Service, showing a statue of Baron von Steuben. The statue depicts a standing man wearing a tricorn hat, long cloak, and military coat with a sash, placed on a stepped pedestal. Handwritten text on the negative identifies it as the "Steuben Statue."

Why it matters

This photograph documents how Steuben was publicly commemorated with a monument, reflecting his lasting reputation as a key foreign officer who helped train the Continental Army. News photographs like this one show how historical figures were memorialized and photographed for public circulation.

Look closer

  • What details of the statue's clothing and pose suggest how Steuben wanted to be remembered, or how sculptors chose to represent him?
  • Why might a news service have photographed this particular statue?
  • What does the handwritten label tell us about how photographs like this were catalogued and used?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Friedrich von Steuben on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 1779

Oil portrait of an 18th-century man with powdered gray hair, wearing a dark blue coat with gold epaulettes and gold-yellow waistcoat, a red sash and star-shaped order badge, against a dark background.Painting

Primary source

Baron Frederick William von Steuben

Charles Willson Peale · 1780

Large painting of a battlefield scene with a grey, stormy sky. On the left, British redcoat troops stand in lines beside a white flag. On the right, American troops in blue and buff stand beside a striped flag. In the center, a mounted commander on a white horse, with a figure in red uniform walking in front, faces the lines.Painting

Secondary source

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

John Trumbull · 1819

Oil portrait of an older man with white powdered hair in a dark navy coat with gold epaulettes and tan high-collared lapels and waistcoat. He wears orange-and-red decorations and a star-shaped order on his chest and holds a sword hilt. Behind him are trees and a distant river with sailboats.Painting

Primary source

Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl · 1786

Handwritten letter in brown ink on aged paper, dated Montpellier 12 March 1773 at top right, addressed 'Monsieur' and written in French in cursive script. It is signed at the bottom right with a closing phrase and the name 'de Steuben'.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Montpellier

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 12 March 1773

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