The Carving - George Washington
Borglum modeled his Washington figure after the life mask created by French artist Jean Antoine Houdon during a visit to Mount Vernon, 1785, as well as portraits by Rembrandt Peale and Gilbert Stuart.
"I deliberately carved the head in an upright position without the slightest tilting forward or backward, or to either side, to fix upon the mind of the observer the upright character of the man, but I found the figure was too still. I merely pivoted the body by cutting the left shoulder farther back into the mountain. It had the same effect as if the head itself had been turned. It has put more life into the figure."
--Gutzon Borglum
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina... ... read more 
