Roger B. Taney Monument (Baltimore)

Roger B. Taney
Statue of Roger B. Taney prior to its removal
Artist	William Henry Rinehart
Year	1871; Recast 1887; removed 2017
Medium	Bronze
Dimensions	220 cm × 120 cm × 160 cm (86 in × 47 in × 62 in)
Location	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates	39°17′52.63″N 76°36′56.47″W
Owner	City of Baltimore

Roger B. Taney is a 19th-century bronze statue of Chief Justice of the United States Roger B. Taney (1777–1864), by William Henry Rinehart. It was located in Baltimore, Maryland at the North Garden in Mount Vernon Place prior to being removed by the city of Baltimore in 2017.

History

The sculpture was a gift to the City of Baltimore from the businessman and art collector William T. Walters, whose home faced Mount Vernon Place.[1][2] It is a recast of the Roger B. Taney Monument at Annapolis, Maryland.[3] The sculpture was unveiled to the public in 1887.[2]

Amidst controversy about the presence of a statue honoring the author of the infamous Dred Scott decision, the sculpture was removed by the City of Baltimore in 2017 and put into storage.

In the August 14, 2017, City Council session, they also voted unanimously to remove the Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the Confederate Women's Monument.[4]

Inscription

The inscription read:
(On rear proper left side of sculpture:)
inv et(?) mod. W. H. Rinehart Rom
(On rear proper right side of sculpture:)
FERD. VON MILLER
(...inscription illegible)
MUNCHEN 188(?)
(On scroll in figure's right hand:)
THE CONSTITUTION
(On plaque on front of granite base:)
ROGER B. TANEY OF MARYLAND
CHIEF JUSTICE
signed Founder's mark appears
[5]

See also

• List of public art in Baltimore

References

1. Carl T. Hyden; Theodore F. Sheckels (14 January 2016). Public Places: Sites of Political Communication. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 91–. ISBN 978-1-4985-0726-4.
2. Cindy Kelly (3 May 2011). Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore: A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City. JHU Press. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-0-8018-9722-1.
3. "Roger B. Taney, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland, Baltimore survey. 1993. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
4. Campbell, Colin; Broadwater, Luke (August 26, 2017). "Citing 'safety and security,' Pugh has Baltimore Confederate monuments taken down". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
5. Rinehart, William Henry (23 August 1871). "Roger B. Taney". Siris-artinventories.si.edu Library Catalog. Retrieved 23 August 2017.