Thomas A. Doyle Statue
Dublin Core
Title
Thomas A. Doyle Statue
Subject (Topic)
Subject (Topic)
Monuments--Rhode Island--Providence
Downtown--Neighborhoods--Rhode Island--Providence
Monuments--Rhode Island--Providence
Downtown--Neighborhoods--Rhode Island--Providence
Subject (Name)
Subject (Name)
Doyle, Thomas Arthur, 1827-1886
Doyle, Thomas Arthur, 1827-1886
Subject (Object)
Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
In 1886, Henry Hudson Kitson won the commission for the statue of the recently deceased Mayor Thomas A. Doyle. He modeled the mayor in classic contrapposto: he rests his left hand on his hip and steps forward on his right foot, forming an S-shaped curve. A sheaf of papers seems to unfurl in his right hand. Shown in contemporary dress with a knotted scarf, a vest, a frock coat, and full-length trousers, Doyle sports thick wavy hair and long side whiskers that extend to his jaw line. Standing confidently, Doyle stares resolutely off into the distance.
Gruet Fondeur in Paris cast the statue in one piece rather than in segments to be reassembled. The original polished Quincy granite base included an inscription on the front of the monument: "Thomas A. Doyle. Eighteen years Mayor of Providence. Erected by his Fellow Citizens in honor of Integrity Ability and Patriotism." On the back of the monument a second inscription was included: "Thomas Arthur Doyle. Born in Providence March 15, 1827. Died June 9, 1886."
The city relocated the statue on September 21, 1967, from Cathedral Square to a position on the grounds of the Beneficent House on Chestnut and Broad Streets. The original Quincy granite base was destroyed. The city commissioned a new modern concrete plinth with a new bronze inscription. The statue was rededicated on December 4, 1967.
Gruet Fondeur in Paris cast the statue in one piece rather than in segments to be reassembled. The original polished Quincy granite base included an inscription on the front of the monument: "Thomas A. Doyle. Eighteen years Mayor of Providence. Erected by his Fellow Citizens in honor of Integrity Ability and Patriotism." On the back of the monument a second inscription was included: "Thomas Arthur Doyle. Born in Providence March 15, 1827. Died June 9, 1886."
The city relocated the statue on September 21, 1967, from Cathedral Square to a position on the grounds of the Beneficent House on Chestnut and Broad Streets. The original Quincy granite base was destroyed. The city commissioned a new modern concrete plinth with a new bronze inscription. The statue was rededicated on December 4, 1967.
Creator
Kitson, Henry Hudson, 1863-1947
Gruet Fondeur Paris (Charles-Adolph Gruet)
Gruet Fondeur Paris (Charles-Adolph Gruet)
Source
Photographs by Eric Sung, Professor, Providence College
Date
June 3, 1889
Contributor
Doyle Monument Committee (first): George H. Corliss (chairman), Joseph C. Johnston (treasurer), Henry V. Joslin (secretary), William S. Hayward, Gilbert F. Robbins, and Alfred M. Williams; Doyle Monument Committee (second): Alfred Stone (chairman), Henry V. Joslin (secretary), Henry R. Barker, William S. Hayward, Jesse Metcalf, Samuel A. Nightingale, Gorham P. Pomroy Gilbert F. Robbins, Nicholas Van Slyck, Stillman White, Alfred M. Williams
Rights
City of Providence, 25 Dorrance Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Beneficent House, 1 Chestnut Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Has Part
Bronze lettering on granite base (1967):
Thomas A. Doyle
Eighteen Years
Mayor
Of Providence
Pioneer
In
Urban Renewal
Foundry stamp on base of statue:
Gruet Fondeur Paris
Artist signature on base of statue:
H. H. Kitson
Thomas A. Doyle
Eighteen Years
Mayor
Of Providence
Pioneer
In
Urban Renewal
Foundry stamp on base of statue:
Gruet Fondeur Paris
Artist signature on base of statue:
H. H. Kitson
Extent
120 in. (304.8 cm)
Medium
Bronze; Concrete
Bibliographic Citation
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 17, 1886.
"Subscriptions for a Monument to Thomas Doyle." Providence Journal, June 18, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, June 20, 1886.
"Providence and Vicinity: The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 22, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 24, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 25, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 28, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, June 29, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 29, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 30, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, July 2, 1886.
"Subscriptions for a Monument to Thomas Doyle at Journal Office." Providence Journal, July 2, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 4, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 8, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 10, 1886.
"Subscription to Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 13, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 23, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, July 30, 1886.
"Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 30, 1886.
"The Doyle Memorial: Nearly $8400 Contributed for the Erection of the Monument." Providence Journal, October 17, 1886.
"Announcement: Doyle Memorial Meeting." Providence Journal, October 20, 1886.
"Doyle Memorial Meeting: The Completion of the Work of the Memorial Given to a Committee." Providence Journal, October 24, 1886.
"Providence and Vicinity. The Common Council. Proposition to Purchase the ‘Dexter Donation’ for $15,000. Serious Complaint Against the Board of Public Works." Providence Journal, January 18, 1887.
"The Doyle Monument. Colonel J. Lippitt Snow’s Complimentary Criticism of Sculptor Kitson’s Clay Model." Providence Journal, November 21, 1888.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, February 2, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument Cast. A Successful Operation Perfect in All Its Details." Providence Journal, February 18, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Common Council. $30,00 for New Police Station. The Doyle Monument Location Fixed." Providence Journal, March 19, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Concurrence in the New Police Station Matter." Providence Journal, March 22, 1889.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, May 26, 1889.
"Mayor Doyle’s Statue. Its Arrival Wednesday Morning and Placing Upon the Pedestal." Providence Journal, May 30, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, June 1, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 3, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument. Completion of the Dedicatory Arrangements." Providence Journal, June 3, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. A People’s Mayor. Dedication of the Monument to Thomas A. Doyle. In Honor of His Integrity, Ability, and Patriotism." Providence Journal, June 4, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, June 6, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Aldermen. A Fence Around the Doyle Monument. Licenses and Petitions Granted." Providence Journal, June 7, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, June 19, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, July 4, 1889.
"Sculptor Kitson Honored. A Dinner Given Him by the Doyle Monument Committee." Providence Journal, July 9, 1889.
"Art Gossip." Providence Journal, July 21, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Ordinance Fixing the Salaries of the License Commissioners. The Cable Company Ask for a Station on Benefit Station. The Doyle Monument to Be Raised with No Iron Fence Enclosures." Providence Journal, August 2, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, October 18, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. The Doyle Monument. The Fence Barrier Removed and Its Open Exposure to Damage." Providence Journal, October 23, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, October 26, 1889.
"Board of Alderman. Opinion of City Solicitor as to Raising Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, November 15, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, November 26, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Doyle Monument to be Raised at a Cost of $4000." Providence Journal, December 27, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, August 5, 1890.
"Art Notes. What the Art World Is Doing and Talking About. Burn’s Statue Design and Other Local Art Gossip." Providence Journal, August 17, 1890.
"At the Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, October 14, 1890.
"Memorial Statuary. The Proper Location of Statue to Shakespeare. Some Points About the Uses to Which Parks Are Devoted." Providence Journal, August 23, 1891.
"Not Plagiarized. Mr. Kitson to Have a Hearing. His Claim that His Statue Design is Original Is Corroborated." Providence Journal, November 12, 1891.
"Farragut Honored. The Statue of the Great Admiral Unveiled at Boston. . . . Sculptor Kitson." Providence Journal, June 29, 1893.
"Knights Templars March; Then Play. Six Commanderies United in Observance of St. John’s Day. . . . Doyle’s Monument Adorned." Providence Journal, June 25, 1912.
"To the Editor of the Sunday Journal: A Moldy Statue." Providence Journal, September 17, 1916.
"Name and Locate the Squares of Providence." Providence Journal, January 21, 1923.
"Labor Director Hurt." Providence Journal, April 9, 1944.
"Start Rebuilding Washington St. Rails Torn Up and Old Highway Surface Being Ripped Away." Providence Journal, July 24, 1951.
"Cathedral Square." Providence Journal, March 13, 1960.
Simister, Florence P. "Live, Lore, and Legends." Providence Journal, August 29, 1965.
"A Mayor in Danger of ‘Renewal’." Providence Journal, January 15, 1967.
Wilson, Douglas C. "Mayor Doyle." Providence Journal, January 15, 1967.
"City May Place Statue of Doyle in Urban Park." Providence Journalm January 17, 1967.
"In the Day’s Mail: Mrs. Arthur Ingraham Jr., The Uncertain Future of a Statue." Providence Journal, January 29, 1967.
"Doyle Statue Move Okayed." Providence Journal, March 15, 1967.
"Statue Is Moved by City Agency." Providence Journal, September 22, 1967.
"Beneficent House is Dedicated." Providence Journal, December 4, 1967.
O’Neill, James M. "Developer to Renew Jewelry District." Providence Journal, July 18, 1988.
Dujardin, Richard C. "Encore at City Hall." Providence Journal (Metro Edition), October 15, 1998.
Bodo, Sandor. "RearView Mirror: Moving Monuments." Providence Journal, November 9, 2013. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/lifestyle/2013/11/09/20131109-rearview-mirror-moving-monuments-ece/35385296007/
Bondo, Sandor. "RearView Mirror." Providence Journal, November 10, 2013.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_FIC0231, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_FIC0231.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_FIC0232, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_FIC0232.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0946, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0946.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0948, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0948.
Photograph of Dedication of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0950, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0948.
"Subscriptions for a Monument to Thomas Doyle." Providence Journal, June 18, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, June 20, 1886.
"Providence and Vicinity: The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 22, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 24, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 25, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 28, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, June 29, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 29, 1886.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 30, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, July 2, 1886.
"Subscriptions for a Monument to Thomas Doyle at Journal Office." Providence Journal, July 2, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 4, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 8, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 10, 1886.
"Subscription to Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 13, 1886.
"The Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 23, 1886.
"Special Notice." Providence Journal, July 30, 1886.
"Doyle Monument Fund." Providence Journal, July 30, 1886.
"The Doyle Memorial: Nearly $8400 Contributed for the Erection of the Monument." Providence Journal, October 17, 1886.
"Announcement: Doyle Memorial Meeting." Providence Journal, October 20, 1886.
"Doyle Memorial Meeting: The Completion of the Work of the Memorial Given to a Committee." Providence Journal, October 24, 1886.
"Providence and Vicinity. The Common Council. Proposition to Purchase the ‘Dexter Donation’ for $15,000. Serious Complaint Against the Board of Public Works." Providence Journal, January 18, 1887.
"The Doyle Monument. Colonel J. Lippitt Snow’s Complimentary Criticism of Sculptor Kitson’s Clay Model." Providence Journal, November 21, 1888.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, February 2, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument Cast. A Successful Operation Perfect in All Its Details." Providence Journal, February 18, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Common Council. $30,00 for New Police Station. The Doyle Monument Location Fixed." Providence Journal, March 19, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Concurrence in the New Police Station Matter." Providence Journal, March 22, 1889.
"Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, May 26, 1889.
"Mayor Doyle’s Statue. Its Arrival Wednesday Morning and Placing Upon the Pedestal." Providence Journal, May 30, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, June 1, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, June 3, 1889.
"The Doyle Monument. Completion of the Dedicatory Arrangements." Providence Journal, June 3, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. A People’s Mayor. Dedication of the Monument to Thomas A. Doyle. In Honor of His Integrity, Ability, and Patriotism." Providence Journal, June 4, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, June 6, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Aldermen. A Fence Around the Doyle Monument. Licenses and Petitions Granted." Providence Journal, June 7, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, June 19, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, July 4, 1889.
"Sculptor Kitson Honored. A Dinner Given Him by the Doyle Monument Committee." Providence Journal, July 9, 1889.
"Art Gossip." Providence Journal, July 21, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Ordinance Fixing the Salaries of the License Commissioners. The Cable Company Ask for a Station on Benefit Station. The Doyle Monument to Be Raised with No Iron Fence Enclosures." Providence Journal, August 2, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, October 18, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. The Doyle Monument. The Fence Barrier Removed and Its Open Exposure to Damage." Providence Journal, October 23, 1889.
"Special Notices." Providence Journal, October 26, 1889.
"Board of Alderman. Opinion of City Solicitor as to Raising Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, November 15, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, November 26, 1889.
"Providence and Vicinity. Board of Alderman. Doyle Monument to be Raised at a Cost of $4000." Providence Journal, December 27, 1889.
"City Notes." Providence Journal, August 5, 1890.
"Art Notes. What the Art World Is Doing and Talking About. Burn’s Statue Design and Other Local Art Gossip." Providence Journal, August 17, 1890.
"At the Doyle Monument." Providence Journal, October 14, 1890.
"Memorial Statuary. The Proper Location of Statue to Shakespeare. Some Points About the Uses to Which Parks Are Devoted." Providence Journal, August 23, 1891.
"Not Plagiarized. Mr. Kitson to Have a Hearing. His Claim that His Statue Design is Original Is Corroborated." Providence Journal, November 12, 1891.
"Farragut Honored. The Statue of the Great Admiral Unveiled at Boston. . . . Sculptor Kitson." Providence Journal, June 29, 1893.
"Knights Templars March; Then Play. Six Commanderies United in Observance of St. John’s Day. . . . Doyle’s Monument Adorned." Providence Journal, June 25, 1912.
"To the Editor of the Sunday Journal: A Moldy Statue." Providence Journal, September 17, 1916.
"Name and Locate the Squares of Providence." Providence Journal, January 21, 1923.
"Labor Director Hurt." Providence Journal, April 9, 1944.
"Start Rebuilding Washington St. Rails Torn Up and Old Highway Surface Being Ripped Away." Providence Journal, July 24, 1951.
"Cathedral Square." Providence Journal, March 13, 1960.
Simister, Florence P. "Live, Lore, and Legends." Providence Journal, August 29, 1965.
"A Mayor in Danger of ‘Renewal’." Providence Journal, January 15, 1967.
Wilson, Douglas C. "Mayor Doyle." Providence Journal, January 15, 1967.
"City May Place Statue of Doyle in Urban Park." Providence Journalm January 17, 1967.
"In the Day’s Mail: Mrs. Arthur Ingraham Jr., The Uncertain Future of a Statue." Providence Journal, January 29, 1967.
"Doyle Statue Move Okayed." Providence Journal, March 15, 1967.
"Statue Is Moved by City Agency." Providence Journal, September 22, 1967.
"Beneficent House is Dedicated." Providence Journal, December 4, 1967.
O’Neill, James M. "Developer to Renew Jewelry District." Providence Journal, July 18, 1988.
Dujardin, Richard C. "Encore at City Hall." Providence Journal (Metro Edition), October 15, 1998.
Bodo, Sandor. "RearView Mirror: Moving Monuments." Providence Journal, November 9, 2013. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/lifestyle/2013/11/09/20131109-rearview-mirror-moving-monuments-ece/35385296007/
Bondo, Sandor. "RearView Mirror." Providence Journal, November 10, 2013.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_FIC0231, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_FIC0231.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_FIC0232, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_FIC0232.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0946, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0946.
Photograph of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0948, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0948.
Photograph of Dedication of Thomas A. Doyle Statue, n.d., Rhode Island Photograph Collection, VM013_WC0950, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_WC0948.
Rights Holder
Department of Art, Culture, Tourism, City of Providence
Geolocation
Citation
Kitson, Henry Hudson, 1863-1947
Gruet Fondeur Paris (Charles-Adolph Gruet)
, “Thomas A. Doyle Statue,” Commemorative Works of Providence, accessed April 1, 2026, https://commemorativeworks.artculturetourism.com/items/show/54.