Eagle (1904)

by August Gaul (1869 - 1921)

Photo Caption: Photo Alec Rogers © 2014 for the Association for Public Art
  • Title

    Eagle

  • Artist

    August Gaul (1869 - 1921)

  • Year

    1904

  • Location

    Macy’s department store (interior), 13th and Market Streets

  • Medium

    Bronze

  • Dimensions

    Height 6’6″; width 3’3″; length 9’10

  • Themes

    The Animal Kingdom

Purchased by John Wanamaker from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Germany's contribution) for Wanamaker's Department Store

Owned by Macy's

At A Glance

  • Made of a unique “Durana” bronze that gives the sculpture its warm golden hue

  • Each part of the “Eagle” was hand-assembled and each feather individually attached

  • In 2001, the “Eagle” was designated an historic object by the city’s Historical Commission

Created to represent Germany at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, August Gaul’s Eagle is made of a unique “Durana” bronze that lends the sculpture its warm golden hue. Each part of the 2,500 pound Eagle was hand-assembled and each feather individually attached. It took skilled workmen five months to complete the monumental piece.

At the end of the fair, the sculpture was acquired by John Wanamaker for display in his store and has stood at that location (now Macy’s department store) ever since.

In 2001, the Eagle was designated a historic object by the city’s Historical Commission.

Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).

The Eagle at Macy's
Photo Caitlin Martin © 2016 for the Association for Public Art

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