The full size version of this sculpture is a 37-foot high, 27-ton bronze figure of William Penn (1644 - 1718) atop Philadelphia's City Hall. English colonist William Penn, a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The figure of Penn wears colonial garb, with his right hand extended gracefully, and a copy of the Charter of Pennsylvania in his left hand. ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]>
Artist Lois Harper Wyman, a descendant of William Strickland, painted this portrait of her ancestor in 1952, copying from an original portrait by an unknown artist. ]]> ]]> ]]>
Biddle belonged to many Philadelphia civic organizations, among them: the Athenaeum of Philadelphia (which he helped found in 1814), the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. Additionally, Biddle served as President of the Girard College Board of Trustees and was instrumental in fulfilling Stephen Girard’s vision of building a school for poor orphaned boys.

As a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Biddle advocated for the reestablishment of a national bank. In 1816, the second Bank of the United States was chartered, and in 1819, Monroe, now president of the United States, appointed Biddle to the board of directors of the Bank. In 1822 Biddle became president of the Bank, serving in that role until 1839, when it became increasingly clear that President Andrew Jackson’s refusal to renew the Bank’s charter all but guaranteed the Bank’s failure. The Bank ultimately closed in 1841.

Throughout his career, Biddle often took respite at his country residence known as Andalusia. In 1811 Biddle had married Jane Craig, and in 1814 obtained her parents’ large house located 14 miles north of Philadelphia overlooking the Delaware River. He commissioned architect Thomas Ustick Walter (who had designed Girard College) to transform the existing Craig house into a Greek Revival masterpiece. Biddle applied his lifelong interest in the arts, architecture, and experimental agriculture to develop the home and gardens into a stately and serene estate. Today, Andalusia is a National Historic Landmark open to visitors.

Nicholas Biddle died at Andalusia in 1844 at the age of 58.
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Dr. Mease was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, and a founding member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. In 1814 he helped found the Athenaeum of Philadelphia; among the original 139 charter shareholders, Dr. Mease held share number 7, and served as the Athenaeum’s first vice-president.

In 1800, Dr. Mease married Sarah Butler, the daughter of South Carolina Senator Pierce Butler. They had two sons who later changed their last names from Mease to Butler as a prerequisite for inheriting their grandfather Senator Butler’s vast fortune. One of the sons, Pierce Butler, married the renowned English stage actress Fanny Kemble.

Dr. James Mease died in Philadelphia in 1846.
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Phrenology is based on the belief that certain delineated areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, and that an individual’s personality and character can be ascertained by studying the corresponding bumps and indentations on the person’s skull. The theory was developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gallin in the 1790s, and further advanced by his assistant Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. Phrenology faced skepticism from the scientific community, but enjoyed immense popularity with the American public throughout the 19th century. Today, phrenology is regarded as a pseudoscience.
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Phrenology is based on the belief that certain delineated areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, and that an individual’s personality and character can be ascertained by studying the corresponding bumps and indentations on the person’s skull. The theory was developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gallin in the 1790s, and further advanced by his assistant Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. Phrenology faced skepticism from the scientific community, but enjoyed immense popularity with the American public throughout the 19th century. Today, phrenology is regarded as a pseudoscience. ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]>
ATHENAEUM
219

Lettering is formed by reverse glass gold leaf gilding. The exact age of this window and the date of its removal are unknown; however, a 1923 photograph in the collections of the Athenaeum clearly shows the transom window in place over the front door. ]]>