Robert E. Lee Monument, Richmond, VA
1890 (Photographs 2006)
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This monument of General Robert E. Lee, by Marius Jean Antonin Mercie (sculptor) and Paul Pujol (architect), was unveiled to a crowd of over 100,000 on May 29, 1890 in Richmond, Virginia. Built on what would develop into Monument Avenue, the memorial to Robert E. Lee was the first of several statues created to commemorate the Confederacy in its former capital city.
The bronze equestrian sculpture by Marius Jean Antonin is 21 feet tall. The equestrian statue of General Robert E. Lee astride a horse sits atop a tall granite base. Lee, dressed in his Confederate uniform and facing towards the South, holds the horse's reins in his left hand and his hat rests on his right thigh. The bronze sculpture is located on top of a forty foot high granite pedestal with the east and west sides embellished with four gray marble columns designed by Paul Pujol, a French architect.
The monument to Robert E. Lee was defaced by protestors demonstrating against police brutality and racism in policing in May 2020. It became the last remaining Confederate statue along Monument Avenue, after the others were damaged, destroyed and/or removed during the same period of civil unrest. In June 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stated that the statue would be removed from its current location. After several groups brought unsuccessful lawsuits to protect the monument, the state removed it on September 8, 2021.
These photos and descriptions are part of materials from the Robert E. Lee Monument registration in the National Register of Historic Places.
The bronze equestrian sculpture by Marius Jean Antonin is 21 feet tall. The equestrian statue of General Robert E. Lee astride a horse sits atop a tall granite base. Lee, dressed in his Confederate uniform and facing towards the South, holds the horse's reins in his left hand and his hat rests on his right thigh. The bronze sculpture is located on top of a forty foot high granite pedestal with the east and west sides embellished with four gray marble columns designed by Paul Pujol, a French architect.
The monument to Robert E. Lee was defaced by protestors demonstrating against police brutality and racism in policing in May 2020. It became the last remaining Confederate statue along Monument Avenue, after the others were damaged, destroyed and/or removed during the same period of civil unrest. In June 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stated that the statue would be removed from its current location. After several groups brought unsuccessful lawsuits to protect the monument, the state removed it on September 8, 2021.
These photos and descriptions are part of materials from the Robert E. Lee Monument registration in the National Register of Historic Places.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
National Archives Identifier: 41683201
Full Citation: Robert E. Lee Monument, Richmond, VA; 1890 (Photographs 2006); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Virginia; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/robert-e-lee-monument-richmond-va, May 17, 2024]Rights: Copyright Not Evaluated Learn more on our privacy and legal page.