Tag: George Washington
Equestrian Statues
“Equestrian statues have always served, through the centuries, a kind of epic purpose.”
Although Washington, D.C., is a city known for its statuary, the most compelling – and the most admired – are the statues of a horse and its rider. There are over 20 such statues in the District (more than any other American city) and they represent not just Americans, but foreigners and even ideals.
Flag Friday: District of Columbia
For over 100 years the District of Columbia went without an official flag. Before the flag we know today was approved in 1938, the District would often fly the flag of the D.C. militia, which shows the Capitol Dome with a rising sun behind it. But in 1917 a young designer and artist named Charles Dunn was working on engraving a number of flags for an issue of National Geographic. “While working on the flags of the different states of the United States, I became aware of a lack of good design in many of them. In fact, some were simply just the state seal in the center of a blue field. Of course, I noticed, too, that there was no District of Columbia Flag.”
Washington Circle
“First in war – first in peace – and first in the hearts of his countrymen”
Sandwiched between West End and Foggy Bottom, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue, is Washington Circle. Two concentric circles of sidewalk ring the equestrian statue Lieutenant General George Washington that stands in the middle of the park. Benches line the sidewalks and trees provide shade for pedestrians and students from nearby George Washington University.
