In this artwork, how is the Description discussed?
The statue stands in the gardens of St Thomas' Hospital, facing the Palace of Westminster. The figure of Seacole is cast in bronze and the sculptor Martin Jennings depicted Seacole in motion to represent her "marching defiantly forward into an oncoming wind, as if confronting head-on some of the personal resistance she had constantly to battle". The sculpture stands on a plinth of Cumbrian slate with Portland stone dressings. Seacole stands in front of a disc, again cast in bronze although with a lighter patina to accentuate contrasts and shadows, which shows the land surface where Seacole established her "British Hotel" in the Crimea. Jennings intended the disc to have both literal significance, as a depiction of the place where her reputation was first established, and symbolic meaning, as a block to her ambitions.
The plinth carries two inscriptions. To the front is carved Seacole's name, occupation and dates, together with words from her autobiography; "Wherever the need arises on whatever distant shore I ask no higher or greater privilege than to minister to it". The reverse describes the meaning and purpose of the disc, and carries words by William Howard Russell, the newspaper correspondent who covered the Crimean War, and Seacole's contribution; "I trust that England will not forget one who nursed her sick, who sought out her wounded to aid and succour them, and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead". In 2017 the sculpture was shortlisted for the Marsh Awards, established by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association to raise awareness of Britain's monument heritage. Seacole's statue is generally considered to be the first in Britain to recognise a named black woman.
Marsh Awards Public Monuments and Sculpture Association William Howard Russell Cumbria block Seacole Portland stone slate Westminster Martin Jennings Crimea dressings St Thomas' Hospital Crimean War patina Palace of Westminster