Providence as Independent Thought
Dublin Core
Title
Providence as Independent Thought
Subject (Topic)
Allegorical Figure
Public art
Sculpture
United States--Rhode Island--Providence
Public art
Sculpture
United States--Rhode Island--Providence
Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture
Description
Parallel to Nation as Sovereign and Power is this monument composed of three figures as well: Providence, Industry, and Learning. Providence, similar to her sister Sovereign, is enthroned upon a plinth and draped in robes, however with puffed sleeves similar to a Tudor style. She is fitted in a crown of laurells with her hair tucked intoa neat bun. Her dress is laced in the front with thread and clings tightly to her form, similar to a corset. In her right hand are stalks of maize (although the Providence Journal's editorial on the dedication ceremony refers to it as a "torch") indicating agriculture, and in her left is a book splayed open to the viewer. She wears sandals, presumably of a Roman or Greek style, while her companions wear work boots.
To Providence's right-hand side is Industry. He is represented as a male figure, shirtless with his leather apron hanging loosely off his shoulders. His worker boots symbolically places him in an industrial context, such as a cotton or wool factory. He wears pants that have been textured to emulate work trousers. He leans against what appears to be a metal cylinder with a pulley-block attatched, contrasting the stone column next to Learning.
Learning, to Provdience's left, is the only statue at the Federal Building not looking forward upon the audience. She does not strike a proud pose with her hand firmly gripping a symbolic object related to her ideological function, but rather leans her right elbow absentmindedly on Providence's thrown, head propped on her palm. She gazes down at the book splayed across her lips, eyes half-lidded and with a distant smile. She wears a loose fitting dress that is plain with billowing sleeves, and her hair frames her face messily as it is held back by a bandana. Similar to Industry, she wears work boots, though they are partially hiden by the length of her dress.
To Providence's right-hand side is Industry. He is represented as a male figure, shirtless with his leather apron hanging loosely off his shoulders. His worker boots symbolically places him in an industrial context, such as a cotton or wool factory. He wears pants that have been textured to emulate work trousers. He leans against what appears to be a metal cylinder with a pulley-block attatched, contrasting the stone column next to Learning.
Learning, to Provdience's left, is the only statue at the Federal Building not looking forward upon the audience. She does not strike a proud pose with her hand firmly gripping a symbolic object related to her ideological function, but rather leans her right elbow absentmindedly on Providence's thrown, head propped on her palm. She gazes down at the book splayed across her lips, eyes half-lidded and with a distant smile. She wears a loose fitting dress that is plain with billowing sleeves, and her hair frames her face messily as it is held back by a bandana. Similar to Industry, she wears work boots, though they are partially hiden by the length of her dress.
Creator
Rhind, James Massey, 1860-1936
Source
Photographs by Christina Miles
Date
Dedicated: November 23, 1908
Contributor
Architectural Firm: Clark & Howe
Funder: U.S. Department of Treasury
Funder: U.S. Department of Treasury
Rights
General Service Administration
1800 F Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
1800 F Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
1 Exchange Terrace
Providence, RI 02903
Providence, RI 02903
Extent
Statue and base: 396.24cm
Medium
Statue: Tennesse Marble
Base: Tennesse Marble
Base: Tennesse Marble
Bibliographic Citation
“New Federal Building To Be Opened To-Day.” The Providence Journal, November 28, 1908.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater, Brown University
Geolocation
Citation
Rhind, James Massey, 1860-1936, “Providence as Independent Thought,” Commemorative Works of Providence, accessed April 27, 2025, https://commemorativeworks.artculturetourism.com/items/show/15.