Frederick Keep Monument, Bronze memorial sculpture in Rock Creek Cemetery, United States
The Frederick Keep Monument is a bronze sculpture in Rock Creek Cemetery showing two standing figures together. The female figure raises her arms upward while the male stands closely beside her, and both are positioned in front of a granite wall.
James Earle Fraser created this memorial sculpture in 1920 to honor Frederick Keep and his wife Florence Sheffield Boardman Keep. The work was made during a period when artistic memorials in Washington often used classical forms to recognize important local figures.
The figures wear Roman-style clothing with rolled drapery, reflecting classical artistic choices in early 20th-century memorial sculpture. This approach gave memorials a sense of dignity and lasting meaning that spoke to many visitors at the time.
The monument is located in Rock Creek Cemetery in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., near the Soldiers' Home. Since the cemetery spans a large area, allow time to explore and locate the sculpture among the many graves and memorials.
The female figure wears a cape draped over her head while gazing downward, while the male figure looks toward the distance. This contrasting direction of their gazes tells a story of grief and hope brought together in stone.
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