Quincy Sculptor John Horrigan Carved the Famous Titanic Memorial in DC

The Titanic Memorial in Washington, DC, an iconic depiction of one of the major maritime tragedies of the 20th century, was carved in Quincy, Massachusetts by local sculptor John Horrigan, who used a 20-ton slab of granite to complete the masterpiece. The pedestal, designed by Henry Bacon, used granite from the quarries in Waverly, RI.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney submitted the winning design. She also designed the Daughters of the American Revolution Memorial and the Pan-American Union Fountain and later founded the Whitney Museum in New York.

Described as weighing six tons and measuring 14 feet high and 13 feet wide, the statue was placed atop a pedestal with inscriptions that read on the front:

Pedestal, front

TO THE BRAVE MEN

WHO PERISHED

IN THE WRECK OF THE TITANIC
APRIL 15, 1912
THEY GAVE THEIR

LIVES THAT WOMEN

AND CHILDREN

MIGHT BE SAVED

ERECTED BY THE WOMEN OF AMERICA

Pedestal, back

TO THE YOUNG AND THE OLD

THE RICH AND THE POOR

THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED

ALL

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY

TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

The project was initiated just days after the Titanic sank off of Nova Scotia, on its voyage from Belfast in the north of Ireland to New York City Harbor. It was funded by women, who wanted to pay tribute to the men who had given up their place on the lifeboats so that the women and children could be saved.
“Of the 531 women and children on board, 70% were rescued, compared to only 20% of the men,” according to the National Park Service. The design competition of the memorial was open only to women, and a call went out for one dollar donations, so that a wide number of people could participate.

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Horrigan oversaw a team of gifted carvers in his Quincy studio, including the famous Piccirilli Brothers from Italy. When the sculpture was finished, it was transported by truck to New York City, where it was displayed, then to Washington DC. It was originally placed at Potomac Park and was later moved to its present location at Southwest Waterfront Park, next to Fort McNair and across the Washington Channel from East Potomac Park.

John Horrigan and his son Gerald were respected sculptors and carvers in Quincy and throughout the country. They were most noted for their skills in carving monuments from granite, such as the head of the Myles Standish statue in Duxbury after it was destroyed by lighting in 1922, and a number of religious and Civil War statuary.

They are represented at the Quincy Quarry + Granite Workers Virtual Museum. John’s drawing cabinet is there, along with a portrait of Gerald when he was a student at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston. Read more about the Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum.

For information about visiting Quincy, check out Discover Quincy.

Research, Text + Photos, Michael Quinlin

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