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The Hiker (Kitson)

The original, at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, in 1906.

The Hiker is a bronze statue created by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson. It commemorates the American soldiers who fought in the Spanish–American War, the Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine–American War. The first version of it was made for the University of Minnesota in 1906,[1] but at least 50 copies were made, and were erected widely across the United States.

"The Hiker depicts a hero stripped of his parade uniform and shown as a soldier reacting to the challenges of the battlefield."[2]

Original

When she created The Hiker, Kitson already had a reputation for sculpting war memorial statues. For the title of her work, Kitson used the term that American soldiers in both the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War gave themselves: "hikers". Leonard Sefing, Jr., a Spanish–American War veteran from Allentown, Pennsylvania, was selected as the model for the statue after a photograph of him was entered into a national contest.[3]

The original statue was unveiled at the University of Minnesota on Memorial Day, 1906.[4] The statue stands in front of the armory at 15 Church Street. Also known as the Student Soldier Memorial, it is a monument to the 218 University of Minnesota students who served in the Spanish–American War.[5] The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and stands on a 6-foot (1.8 m) granite base, depicting a soldier clad in a period uniform with a campaign hat and a Krag–Jørgensen rifle. Today this statue, now missing the muzzle of the rifle,[6] is popularly known as Iron Mike.[5]

Locations

Kitson's Hikers are attractive corrosion monitors because of their fixed geometry, reasonably consistent alloy chemistry, wide distribution, and long period of exposure.[6]

"Hiker Study - In Situ Measurement of Long-Term Monumental Bronze Corrosion", 2009

Kitson's work proved to be very popular,[4] largely because of its realism and historical accuracy.[7] In 1921, the Gorham Manufacturing Company, located in Providence, Rhode Island, bought the rights to the statue, and over the next 44 years Gorham cast at least 50 Hiker statues.[7] The earliest installations tended to be in the northeastern United States, with post-World War II statues installed mostly in the South and West.[6]

Because of the wide distribution of the statues, they were used in a 2009 study measuring the effects of air pollution over the last century.[6]

Sources

  1. ^ Rubenstein, Charlotte Streifer, American Women Sculptors: A History of Women Working in Three Dimensions, G. K. Hall and Co. Boston, 1990, pp. 103–104.ISBN 978-0-8161-8732-4
  2. ^ Little, Carol Morris, A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas 1996, p. 70.
  3. ^ a b c "The Hiker, (sculpture)", Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian Institution, retrieved 2012-01-31, Allentown native and Spanish American War veteran, Leonard Sefing, Jr., was the model for the final design of the original Hiker sculpture, of which this sculpture is a reproduction. Sefing's photograph was submitted by a local photographer to a national contest seeking the ideal Spanish American War soldier.
  4. ^ a b Tucker, Spencer (2009), "Theodora Alice Ruggles Kitson, "The Hiker" war memorial, 1906", The encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars: a political, social, and military history, vol. 1, ABC-CLIO, p. 988, ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1, retrieved 2012-01-31
  5. ^ a b Brady, Tim (2007), Gopher Gold: Legendary Figures, Brilliant Blunders, and Amazing Feats at the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society, p. 142, ISBN 978-0-87351-601-3, retrieved 2012-01-31
  6. ^ a b c d "Hiker Study – In Situ Measurement of Long-Term Monumental Bronze Corrosion", The Effects of Air Pollution on Cultural Heritage, Springer, pp. 89–96, 2009, ISBN 978-0-387-84892-1
  7. ^ a b Little, Carol Morris (1996), A comprehensive guide to outdoor sculpture in Texas, University of Texas Press, pp. 70–71, ISBN 0-292-76036-1, retrieved 2012-01-31
  8. ^ Harris, Moira A., Monumental Minnesota: A Guide to Outdoor Sculpture, Pogp Press Inc., 1992, p. 33.
  9. ^ "The Hiker" Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian Museum
  10. ^ Hendry, Fay, photos by Balthazar Korab, Outdoor Sculpture of Kalamazoo, iota press, Okemos, MI, 1980, pp. 22–23.
  11. ^ Hendry, Fay, photos by Balthazar Korab, Outdoor Sculpture of Grand Rapids, iota press, Okemos, MI, 1980, pp. 68–69.
  12. ^ Little, Carol Morris, ‘’A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas’’, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1996, p. 71.
  13. ^ Dedicated November 11, 1934, stated on marker
  14. ^ Giza, Patricia (1984). A Guide Book to Fall River's National Register Properties. Fall River, Massachusetts: The City.
  15. ^ "Lest we Forget: Veterans of Spanish–American War honored", The Herald News, 2009-01-04, retrieved 31 January 2012
  16. ^ "Spanish–American War Monument". Wisconsin Historical Markers. M.A.Roberts Consulting. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  17. ^ Yom, Julie. "A Guide to Civic Art in LA County Parks" (PDF). Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. p. 9. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  18. ^ Hiker” Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian Museum
  19. ^ Hendry, Fay, photos by Balthazar Korab, Outdoor Sculpture of Lansing, iota press, Okemos, Michigan, 1980, pp. 18–19.
  20. ^ Bostick, Virginia L., ‘’The Public Monuments & Sculpture of Morristown, New Jersey’’, New Jersey State Council of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, 1978, pp. 13–14.
  21. ^ Little, Carol Morris, ‘’A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas’’, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1996, pp. 70–71
  22. ^ Monuments on Memorial Drive, National Park Service, Arlington National Cemetery, archived from the original on 2012-05-09, retrieved 2012-02-07, Also located along Memorial Drive are several memorials and monuments not formally part of Arlington Cemetery. These include the Seabees Memorial, the Armored Memorial, the United Spanish War Veterans Memorial (the Hiker), monument to Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, the 101st Airborne Division Memorial, and the 4 Infantry (IVY) Division Monument.

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