Indian Alarm Monument (1880)
Subject: Indian Alarm (The Alarm) Monument (Lake Front Trail)
Series: Native Chicago
Location: Chicago (Lake Front Trail), IL.
Address: Lakefront Trl, Chicago, IL 60657 (map)
Date: 07/23/2024
Camera: Fuji X100V
History
Note: Non-Native description.
“One of Chicago’s earliest public sculptures, “The Alarm” was commissioned in 1880 by lumber magnate and real estate investor, Martin L. Ryerson (1818-87). Ryerson spent his early years as a fur trader in Detroit and formally dedicated the sculpture to “The Ottawa Nation of Indians — my early friends.” Four bronze relief panels on each side of the pedestal, “The Peace Pipe,” “The Corn Dance,” “Forestry,” and “The Hunt,” were stolen in the late 1960s and replaced with the current granite relief panels.
Sculptor John J. Boyle grew up in Philadelphia and was trained at the Franklin Institute, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris. In preparation for Ryerson’s commission, Boyle spent two months observing Native American subjects and making numerous sketches and studies.”
– Chicago Monuments Project, Illinois Centennial Monument
Links
“The Alarm (Indian Alarm) is a Bronze statue by John J. Boyle located in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Commissioned in 1880, and dedicated on May 17, 1884, it shows a Native-American couple with infant and pet dog, looking with concern into the distance. On the base are four incised granite tablets (originally bronze reliefs) with scenes of Ottawa life: “The Peace Pipe,” “The Corn Dance,” “Forestry,” and “The Hunt.””
Wikipedia, A Signal of Peace
Photographs
Native Chicago
Native Chicago is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that discusses the relationship Native American and First Nations communities have with the city of Chicago.
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
