Focus on this artwork and explain the History.
The Fountain of Light and Water,  commonly called  the Bartholdi Fountain, was created for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, which celebrated the 100th birthday of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and it was cast by the Durenne foundry in France, which had won awards for its cast-iron fountains at earlier international expositions in 1862, 1867 and 1873. Bartholdi offered the fountain to the Exposition for free; he intended to sell it afterwards, and to sell others of the same design to other cities. The fountains stood at the center of the esplanade, near the main entrance to the exposition.
When the exposition ended in 1877, Bartholdi did not find any buyers for his fountain. One year later it was purchased by the United States Congress, which offered him only six thousand dollars, half the sum he had originally asked. 
In 1878, it was placed at the base of Capitol Hill inWashington, D.C.. In 1881, Secretary of State James Blaine suggested moving it to Dupont Circle, near his new mansion. The assassination of James Garfield interrupted the conversations and the idea was dropped.In 1926, it was removed and stored to facilitate completion of the George Gordon Meade Memorial, and for landscaping improvements around the Grant Memorial.  In 1932, the sculpture was placed at its current location in the United States Botanic Garden, on the grounds of the United States Capitol,In 2008, the Architect of the Capitol began a complete restoration of the fountain and its basin, the first complete deconstruction and restoration since 1927. The restoration repaired deterioration to the metals inside and out, and also provided modern pumps and motors, a new water treatment and filtration system, and a zinc coating to preserve the original cast-iron of the fountain.   The fountain was returned to Bartholdi Park in spring 2011.
James Blaine Capitol Hill George Gordon Meade Memorial Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Washington, D.C. Philadelphia United States Botanic Garden Architect of the Capitol Declaration of Independence Dupont Circle Bartholdi Park United States Capitol fountain Centennial Exposition assassination of James Garfield Fountain