Robert Gould Shaw Memorial c. 1973 - 2008

This black and white photograph by Richard Benson depicts a close-up of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, a monument dedicated to the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African American regiment to fight in the American Civil War. This detail focuses on the faces of two soldiers, one in profile and one in three-quarters view. The monument itself, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was dedicated in 1897, but this photograph by Benson captures a specific perspective, highlighting the solemn determination etched onto the faces of these brave men.