Stephen Girard - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.979 W 075° 10.938
18S E 484431 N 4424034
The Stephen Girard statue is outside of the Philadelphia Museum Art, on the west side. In the very early 19th century, Girard was perhaps the most famous man in Philadelphia, & definitely the richest. He is well known for his philanthropic efforts.
Waymark Code: WMDTYF
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2012
Views: 4
The Stephen Girard Statue is located on the west end of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The statue was relocated here in 1977 after residing in City Hall Plaza since the late 19th century. 
. The statue was originally placed in 1897, dedicated on May 20, 1897 (founders mark and date on statue) and sculpted by John Massey Rhind (1860-1936). The statue is of bronze and resides on a granite base. The inscription reads:
Philadelphia's
Greatest Philanthropist
Erected By
Alumni of Girard College
And
The People
Of This
City And Commonwealth
1897
I was most impressed with the two relief plaques inset into the granite base. The first bronze, relief tablet features a merchant vessel with men in front of it, presumable one of the men being Girard. The second tablet is held vertically and is rather strange. There are little men and very large women by comparison. I cannot fathom why this is. It is rather comical to look at. The back has a Greek revival building which resembles an old bank or some other important financial institutional building.
The SIRIS site does its usual bank-up job in its description and describes this statue as a standing portrait of Girard dressed in a long jacket, buttoned vest, high necked shirt, and a tie around his neck. He stands in a casual position with his proper left hand on his waist and his proper right foot slightly forward. He holds his glasses in his proper right hand. He stands on a tall square base adorned on the front with a carving of a Girard's famous ship, the Water Witch. The sides of the base are adorned with bronze plaques symbolizing Girard's career as a merchant and a mariner and as a philanthropist.
Stephen Girard (1750-1831) was a banker and businessman in the shipping industry who was known during the early 1800s as one of the richest men in America. During the War of 1812, his bank sold 16 million dollars worth of government bonds and in doing so restored the U.S. credit and enabled the U.S. Treasury to avoid bankruptcy. He came to this country from France in 1776 on a trading whip. When the ship was blockaded by the British at the entrance to the Delaware Bay, he escaped by sailing to Philadelphia. He later became a successful businessman, philanthropist and founder of Girard College. This sculpture of him was presented to the city on the 50th anniversary of the opening of Girard College. The base contains a box which holds a copy of Girard's will, newspapers of the day, and documents concerning Girard College. This sculpture was originally installed in Reyburn Plaza at City Hall, but was moved to the Philadelphia Art Museum when the Municipal Services Building was built.