How to Use the Images

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Photo 3: Dayton Soldiers Memorial.

Photo 4: Detail of Dayton Soldiers Memorial.

The cornerstone of the Dayton Soldiers Memorial was placed on July 4, 1873, and the completed monument was dedicated September 12, 1877. President Rutherford B. Hayes delivered the dedication address before a crowd of 20,000. The 30 ft. column was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe for the Bank of Pennsylvania.¹ After the building was demolished, the column was used in the creation of the Dayton Soldiers Memorial. Latrobe worked on the U.S. Capitol building and is credited with introducing Greek Revival architecture to America. A single figure of a soldier stands at the top, and four figures at its base represent Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy.

Questions for Photos 3 & 4

1. Examine Photos 3 & 4. What do you think the monument was meant to convey to the observer? What particular physical components (figures, symbols, structural components, and materials) convey the monument's message?

2. What does the monument's association with notable figures such as architect Latrobe and President Hayes tell you about its importance to the American public?

¹ Jeffrey A. Cohen and Charles E. Brownell, The Architectural Drawings of Benjamin Henry Latrobe (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1994).

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Photo 3 and Photo 4, but be aware that each file will take as much as 35 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.