How does this artwork elucidate its History?
Commissioned in 1907, Wehn's design suffered from multiple poor castings and was finally sent to New York for casting. The statue was formally unveiled in Tilikum Place by Myrtle Loughery, a great-great-granddaughter of Chief Seattle, on November 13, 1912. The statue was the first commissioned in Seattle and only the city's second piece of public art in all.After unsuccessful proposals to move the statue to locations such as Duwamish Head, Denny Park, and Pioneer Square, the statue was removed for cleaning in anticipation of the Century 21 Exposition of 1962. Wehn objected to a proposal to turn the statue around so it would face the then-new Seattle Center Monorail. After its cleaning, the statue was returned to its original location and orientation, facing Elliott Bay.The statue was rededicated on December 8, 1975. By 1980, the statue had turned green. A local taxi driver attempted to clean it himself, scratching it and exposing its original bronze color. A subsequent restoration revealed that the statue originally had been gilded (covered in gold leaf). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1984, and named a city landmark on May 6, 1985.
National Register of Historic Places Denny Park Seattle Elliott Bay New York gilded Seattle Center Monorail Century 21 Exposition gold leaf Chief Seattle Duwamish Head city landmark Tilikum Place Pioneer Square