Figurehead 1935 - 1942

Elisabeth Fulda drew this figurehead, sometime around the turn of the 20th century, with graphite and gray wash on paper. It depicts a statue of a working man. He is standing on a plinth and holding a scythe, with a bundle of wheat tucked under his arm. The statue commemorates a local benefactor of Sheffield, Pennsylvania. The figure represents the town's economic foundation in agriculture. It's a self-conscious monument to the idea of the common man. The statue is elevated but is, in the end, meant to be read as a celebration of labor and local values. This drawing prompts questions about who gets memorialized, and how. The social role of public art is thrown into sharp relief. In exploring the history of public statuary, historians look at local records, newspaper accounts, and sometimes, preliminary sketches like this. What statements are communities trying to make about themselves and their values in the monuments they choose to erect?