Artwork Details
- Title
- Franz Schubert
- Artist
- Henry Baerer (1837 – 1908)
- Year
- 1891
- Location
- Horticulture Center grounds (Belmont Avenue and North Horticultural Drive, West Fairmount Park)
- Medium
- Bronze, on limestone base
- Dimensions
- Height 4'3″ (base 10'8″)
Artwork Description
Throughout the 19th century, Philadelphia’s German singing societies would participate in singing competitions. In 1891, the United German Singers of Philadelphia won the 16th Annual National Saengerfest held in Newark, New Jersey. The grand prize was the bust of Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828), which the singing society gave to the City of Philadelphia. The sculpture was installed in West Fairmount Park and dedicated and unveiled on December 7, 1891. In 1906, the group gifted the bust of Joseph Haydn to the City, which was installed nearby.
Schubert was known as a writer of songs. Among Schubert’s famous compositions are “Ave Maria.” The Pair of Lions installed next to the bust were given to Fairmount Park by Henry Lisle Waln in 1891.
Henry Baerer was in born in Kirchhain, Kurhessen, Germany in 1837. He came to the United States in 1854 but later returned to Germany to study at the Royal Academy in Munich. He died in the Bronx, NY in 1908.
Artwork Credits
Gift of the United German Singers of Philadelphia to the City of Philadelphia
Owned by the City of Philadelphia
Artwork Media
Museum Without Walls
Voices:
DAVID KIM is Concertmaster and solo violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a renowned teacher who presents master classes world-wide. Kim also works with youth to cultivate future audiences for classical music.
HARDY VON AUENMUELLER is Chairman of the Board of The German Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1764 to assist German immigrants. Today the organization furthers the understanding of German and German-American contributions to American history and culture.
RICHARD N. JULIANI (1938-2025) was a historian who studied immigration and ethnic life, with a focus on the Italian American experience. He is the author of The Social Organization of Immigration: The Italians in Philadelphia.
Producer: Jonathan Mitchell