Chief of the Suquamish – Chief Seattle, Bronze sculpture in Pioneer Square and Tilikum Place, Seattle, United States
Chief of the Suquamish – Chief Seattle is a bronze bust by James A. Wehn, installed at First Avenue and Yesler Way in Pioneer Square. It was commissioned by the Seattle Park Board for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and first sat on a fountain for men, dogs and horses. Another version is at Seattle University.
The Seattle Park Board commissioned the bust from artist James A. Wehn for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, and the bronze version at First Avenue and Yesler Way in Pioneer Square was created in 1909. In March 1994 the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program surveyed it and rated it "treatment needed."
The statue portrays Chief Seattle, a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples who played a key role in relations between his communities and early European settlers. It now serves as a gathering point where people recognize his importance to the region and the city that shares his name.
The bronze bust stands at the intersection of First Avenue and Yesler Way in Pioneer Square. A second version is installed on the Seattle University campus. The Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey of March 1994 recorded the Pioneer Square bronze as needing treatment.
The bronze in Pioneer Square was made in 1909 for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, commissioned by the Seattle Park Board, and first stood on a fountain serving men, dogs and horses. The Smithsonian's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" survey rated it "treatment needed" in March 1994. A second version stands at Seattle University.
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