Jan., 1919. Annual Report of the Director. 



291 



Reproduced by permission of the "Architectural Record'' 



HENRY HERING'S SCULPTURE FOR FIELD MUSEUM 

 OF NATURAL HISTORY IN CHICAGO 



By CHARLES OVER CORNELIVS 



Conceived in the mind of a public-spirited citizen, and made possible 

 of realization by his generosity, the Field Museum of Natural History 

 in Chicago stands as a memorial to Marshall Field, its foimder, and 

 constitutes one of the chief architectural glories of the city. This great 

 museimi is destined to house extensive collections associated with the 

 natural sciences and will function as an immense educational concord- 

 ance. Easy of access from all parts of the city, overlooking the great 

 open space of Grant Park to the north, and visible in its white majesty 

 from far out upon the nearby lake, its site is unrivaled as a dignified and 

 appropriate setting. The design has called forth a sustained architectural 

 study with all that this implies, and the architects, Graham, Anderson, 

 Probst and White, have given to the country a masterpiece in monu- 

 mental building of a distinction and dignity commensurate with its 

 purpose and origin. 



The monumental sculptures created in conjunction with such a 

 building form an essential element in its design. Their position, while not 

 necessarily structiu-al, is in a vital spot of the organism, esthetically 

 considered, and the individual works themselves thus assume a responsi- 

 bility for the success of the whole work altogether out of proportion to 

 their size, since in them is the final focusing of the attention of the 

 spectator. 



The larger part of the exterior sculptural decoration of the building 

 has been concentrated about the central motif of the north facade — the 

 great Ionic portico with its flanking bays. In these two bays caryatid 

 porches rest upon the basement course and above are horizontal panels of 

 low relief. Against the attic of the portico are eight figures of colossal 

 size, which complete the sculptural decoration here. On the south 

 fagade the caryatid porches are repeated and above the mare horizontal 

 panels similar to those facing the north. The interior sculpture consists 

 of four figures surmounting engaged columns at either end of the central 

 hall. This, then, summarizes the decorative sculpture — the caryatids 

 and the four relief panels, the eight attic and the four interior figures. 



For the sculptural embellishment the architects commissioned one 



