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
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
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!
Photographed by Thomas Smith, September 4, 2021
2. Senator Thomas Hart Benton Marker
More about this marker. Locate in Lafayette Park
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 549 times since then and 17 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.
