Gallaudet Memorial, Statue on a university campus in Washington, D.C., United States
Gallaudet Memorial is a bronze statue group by Daniel Chester French on the grounds of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. It shows Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet seated in an armchair and Alice Cogswell standing at his left, with the dark bronze figures set on a light gray stone base.
Edward Miner Gallaudet first asked Daniel Chester French to make the memorial in 1882, but funding delays and the sculptor’s schedule pushed the formal commission to 1887. It was unveiled in June 1889 after French adjusted the chair and the position of the right arm while enlarging the model.
On the pedestal, three stacked words read FRIEND, TEACHER, BENEFACTOR, pointing to the personal role Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet played in Alice Cogswell’s education. Visitors often pause to notice the woman leaning toward the seated figure, which echoes the connection between a teacher and a first pupil in Deaf education.
The statue stands outdoors on campus and is easy to walk around for a close look from different angles. A visit fits naturally into a short stroll before or after exploring the nearby university buildings.
Students at the university objected to a hearing sculptor receiving the commission and campaigned for Albert Victor Ballin, a deaf artist, to get the job instead. A replica of the finished statue was later placed at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut.
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