Horatio Greenough and the Form Majestic: The Biography of the Nation`s First Washington Monument, Rand Harry

The nations first federally-commissioned monument, Horatio Greenoughs huge marble statue of George Washington, sits near the entrance of the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. Meant to be the symbolic focus of the whole continent--at the very center of the US Capitol--the monument instead seems a sadly curious relic.

This book tells the tale of its demotion from stardom to obscurity: the story is stranger than fiction, including an attempted murder; fights in the USA, Britain, and Italy; and political maneuvering. Horatio Greenough and the Form Majestic: The Biography of the Nations First Washington Monument presents new research into the complicated tale. It translates and explains the monuments Latin inscription and offers the story of how the work was brought to America by a sea captain subsequently immortalized by Herman Melville. The book also untangles and decodes the monuments symbolism for the average spectator and art lovers alike.