Lafayette Square in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Senator Thomas Hart Benton, 1782-1858
Photographed By Thomas Smith, September 4, 2021
1. Senator Thomas Hart Benton Marker
Senator Thomas Hart Benton, 1782-1858
Sculpture in Bronze by Harriet Hosmer 1830-1908
America's First Professional Female Sculptor
Sculpture dedicated in 1868
Harriet Hosmer began her sculpture studies in St. Louis and was the first women to get a diploma in Anatomy in 1851 from the Missouri Medical College. forerunner of the Washington University School of Medicine. The study of anatomy was important to sculptors of the human form and when she was denied entry into medical schools in the East because of her gender, St. Louis friends helped her bypass these restrictions. While working in Rome, she was commissioned by the State of Missouri to sculpt Missouri's first public monument, the first United States Senator from Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton, a great champion of westward expansion.
Erected 2002 by Richard and Elizabeth Hosmer Kramer.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Government & Politics • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.
Location. 38° 36.966′ N, 90° 12.974′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Lafayette Square. Marker is on Missouri Avenue, 0.1 miles north of Lafayette Avenue, on the right when traveling
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 1876 Lafayette Park Music Pavilion (a few steps from this marker); These Guns are from the British Man Of War (within shouting distance of this marker); George Washington Statue (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lafayette Park and Square (about 500 feet away); The Grotto Bridge (about 600 feet away); The Old Police Station / Park House in Lafayette Park (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Lafayette Square! (approx. ¼ mile away); Lafayette Square (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
More about this marker. Locate in Lafayette Park
Photographed By Thomas Smith, September 4, 2021
2. Senator Thomas Hart Benton Marker
Photographed By Thomas Smith, September 4, 2021
3. Senator Thomas Hart Benton plaque for the statue
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2021, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 136 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 5, 2021, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
