Orpheus with the Awkward Foot
Allegorical monument to the Star-Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry.
In Baltimore, Maryland, a monument called Orpheus with the Awkward Foot—or the Francis Scott Key Monument—stands at Fort McHenry. Sculptor Charles Henry Niehaus designed it for the United States Commission of Fine Arts to mark a century since Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.” President Warren G. Harding attended its 1922 dedication.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Designer
- Charles Henry Niehaus
- Material
- Bronze; Marble
- Dedicated to
- 100th anniversary of the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
- Dedicated
- June 14, 1922
- Begin
- November 4, 1920
- Complete
- June 1, 1922
- Height
- 39 ft / 11.9 m
Facts from the source article.
History
The centennial anniversary of the writing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in 1914 prompted the U.S. Congress to allocate $75,000 for a monument at Fort McHenry. On May 28, 1916, the Commission of Fine Arts held a competition for design proposals, attracting 34 sculptors. Charles Henry Niehaus's design, a statue of the Greek mythological musician Orpheus, was selected. The choice proved divisive, as some of Key's descendants and sculptor Hans Schuler criticized the allegorical subject; Niehaus explained he could not satisfactorily portray Key. Construction was delayed by World War I and by rejected marble pieces, finally beginning on November 4, 1920. The monument was completed by June 1, 1922, and dedicated on Flag Day, June 14, 1922.
Design
The monument comprises a 24 ft bronze statue of Orpheus atop a 15 ft round marble base with a diameter of 30 ft. Orpheus is depicted nude except for a headband and fig leaf, playing a five-stringed tortoise shell lyre in a neoclassical style. The base features a medallion of Francis Scott Key in profile, supported by a soldier and a sailor in low relief, with the Muses celebrating the U.S. Army and Navy. An inscription dedicates the monument to Key and the soldiers and sailors of the Battle of North Point and the defense of Fort McHenry. The statue was speculated to be the largest bronze statue cast at that time. Originally placed in a traffic circle, it was relocated in 1962 to a less prominent position near the front gate, losing its exedra with benches, cannonballs, and cannons.
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