Civic Fame
NY
SculptureArtist
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Description Show more
As the largest statue in Manhattan, at 2,800 square feet and set on top of the forty-story Municipal Building, Civic Fame is supported by an interior skeleton of steel and copper branches meant to withstand wind and storm. The figure was assembled, similarly to the Statue of Liberty, in many separate sheets of copper and then fused together to create a smooth, seamless surface. Adolph Alexander Weinman's 25' tall gilded figure of Audrey Munson, who was an American artist's model and film actress, today considered "America's First Supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Pacific Girl", the "Exposition Girl" and "American Venus." She was the model or inspiration for more than twelve statues in New York City, and many others elsewhere. Munson was also the first American actress to appear fully nude in the film, Inspiration (1915), the first of her four silent films. It was commissioned by New York City at a cost of $9,000 (equivalent to $233,000 in 2019). The crown also includes dolphins as a symbol of "New York's maritime setting".
As the largest statue in Manhattan, at 2,800 square feet and set on top of the forty-story Municipal Building, Civic Fame is supported by an interior skeleton of steel and copper branches meant to withstand wind and storm. The figure was assembled, similarly to the Statue of Liberty, in many separate sheets of copper and then fused together to create a smooth, seamless surface. Adolph Alexander Weinman's 25' tall gilded figure of Audrey Munson, who was an American artist's model and film actress, today considered "America's First Supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Pacific Girl", the "Exposition Girl" and "American Venus." She was the model or inspiration for more than twelve statues in New York City, and many others elsewhere. Munson was also the first American actress to appear fully nude in the film, Inspiration (1915), the first of her four silent films. It was commissioned by New York City at a cost of $9,000 (equivalent to $233,000 in 2019). The crown also includes dolphins as a symbol of "New York's maritime setting".
Tours
The Commons - The Heart of New York City
Map View
Nearby
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