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Secondary sourceSculpture2012-01-07

Steuben Statue, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Smallbones · 2012-01-07

A bronze statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art honoring Baron von Steuben, photographed in 2012.

This statue commemorates Steuben's service as a general in the American Continental Army.

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Bronze statue of a man in a tricorn hat, long cloak, and military coat, pointing forward with his right arm, with a sword at his left side. Bare trees and a blue sky are behind it, and a tan apartment building is at right.
Statue of Baron von Steuben outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photograph by Smallbones, 2012.

About this source

What it is

This is a modern photograph of a bronze statue standing outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It shows a man in a tricorn hat and long cloak, pointing forward, with a sword at his side.

Why it matters

The statue commemorates Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the Prussian officer who served as a general in the American Continental Army. Statues like this one show how later generations chose to remember Steuben as a military hero of the American Revolution, long after his death.

Look closer

  • What does the pose and clothing of the statue suggest about how Steuben is being remembered?
  • Why might a statue of a Prussian officer stand outside an American art museum?
  • How is a statue different from a photograph or letter as a historical source?

This sculpture 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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Book

Primary source

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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