Alexander Hamilton and the Importance of Civic Statuary

A statue traditionally celebrates great public, military, and humanitarian acts to inspire a nation for generations to come. 

James Earle Fraser's bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton on the south side of the Treasury Building in Washington. Public Domain

Statues convey the virtues of great people, and in the case of civic statuary, these virtues are on public display for generations of citizens.

In “Classical Architecture and Monuments of Washington, D.C.: A History & Guide,” author Michael Curtis described the difference between sculptures and statues. Sculptures “might contain any idea large, small or insipid of anything or non-thing or nonsense,” he wrote. “Statues are intelligently composed, aesthetically resolved, expertly crafted tributes to civic, military, and humanitarian accomplishments.”