Emma Willard Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emma Willard Memorial |
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| Artist | Marion Guild, Pierre Zwick, T.A. Campbell |
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | marble |
| Dimensions | 120 cm × 20 cm × 180 cm (48 in × 8 in × 72 in) |
| Location | Middlebury, Vermont |
| 44°0′53.73″N 73°10′1.34″W / 44.0149250°N 73.1670389°W | |
| Owner | Daughters of the American Revolution, Ethan Allen Chapter, Middlebury, VT |
The Emma Hart Willard Memorial is a special outdoor artwork. It was designed by Marion Guild and Pierre Zwick. T.A. Campbell sculpted it in 1941. You can find this memorial in a small, triangle-shaped park. It's located in downtown Middlebury, Vermont, where two main roads meet.
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What the Memorial Looks Like
This memorial is a large piece of marble. It stands about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall. It is also 6 feet (1.8 meters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide. The marble artwork sits on two white marble bases.
The Emma Willard Memorial is a marble slab with two carved sides. It has straight sides and a rounded top.
Front Side: Emma Willard
One side of the memorial shows Emma Willard. She was an important educator and a champion for women's rights in America. The carving shows her sitting at a desk. She is holding a pen and writing. You can also see a globe, an ink well, and books on her desk.
Above this carving, words are cut into the marble. They say: "In memory of Emma Hart Willard Who Wrote at Middlebury in 1818 the Magna Carta for Higher Education of Women in America."
Back Side: Willard's Quote
The other side of the memorial has a carved message. It shares a famous quote from Emma Willard. The quote reads: "Education Should Seek To Bring Its Subjects to the Perfection of their Moral, Intellectual and Physical Nature, in order that they May be of the Greatest Possible Use to Themselves and Others 1787 - Emma Hart Willard 1870".
The artists did not sign their names on the memorial.
Who Was Emma Willard?
Emma Hart Willard (born February 23, 1787 – died April 15, 1870) was a very important person in American history. She moved to Middlebury, Vermont, in 1807. There, she managed the Middlebury Female Seminary. In 1809, she married a local doctor named John Willard.
Later, in 1814, her family faced money problems. Emma Willard then started teaching women advanced subjects in her own home. This is why many people say she started college-level education for women in the United States. The quote on the back of the memorial comes from a book she wrote. It was called An Address to the Public, particularly to the Members of the Legislature of New York, proposing a Plan for Improving Female Education. She published this book in 1819.
How the Memorial Was Made
The Emma Willard Memorial was designed and sculpted with help from the government. The Federal Arts Project provided money for the design and sculpting. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped pay for the memorial to be put up. The WPA was a government program during the Great Depression. It created jobs for many Americans, including artists.
Since it was dedicated in 1941, the Daughters of the American Revolution have taken care of the memorial. Today, the Ethan Allen Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Middlebury, Vermont, looks after it.
About the Artists
Marion Guild was an American artist and illustrator. She worked with Pierre Zwick, who was a painter. Zwick was also the director of arts for Vermont under the Works Progress Administration. Guild was hired by Zwick to create the design for the memorial.
Marion Guild is perhaps most famous for her pop-up illustrations. She created them for the 1939 edition of Robert L. May's famous story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. At first, only Pierre Zwick was given credit for designing the memorial.
How the Sculpture is Doing
In 1992, experts checked on the sculpture. This was part of a project called Save Outdoor Sculpture!. This project helped catalog and check on thousands of public artworks across the United States. The Emma Willard Memorial was found to be in good condition and well-maintained.
