Statue of Stephen Foster (Pittsburgh)

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Statue of Stephen Foster in Pittsburgh

The Statue of Stephen Foster was erected in 1900 by sculptor Giuseppe Moretti and was originally located in Highland Park, but was relocated in 1940 to Oakland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This sculpture portrayed the Pittsburgh composer Stephen Collins Foster and the black man without shoes sitting on his feet while playing the banjo, implying a slave. He is believed to address the personality of "Uncle Ned" in Foster's melody. On April 26, 2018, the statue was removed.[1]

Background

Stephen Collins Foster was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1826, and passed away due to lonloness and huge debt in New York City on January 13, 1864.[2]

Stephen Foster, known as the "father of American music," made a living by selling his scores a few days before the advent of records and radio. As his career goes, he has composed over 200 pieces of music, including lyrics for "Oh! Susanna", "Jenny Light Brown Hair", "Camptown Race" and "My Kentucky House". But many of Foster's musical lyrics often ccontained hateful racial thoughts. A portion of Foster's melodies, similar to the ones written in black dialect to be acted in dark face.

Despite racist lyrics as it is in "Oh! Susanna" he was the only person who called a black woman a lady as in the song "Nelly Was a Lady."[3] Fewer than 20 of Foster's nearly 200 songs belong to the "black face" category, and most of them are very popular. Foster eventually removed dialects from his songs and never allowed cartoons of slaves on authorized sheet music,[4] like his song called “My Old Kentucky Home,” seen by many as an anti-slavery song.[5]

The history of this statue dates back to 1900. The Pittsburgh Press used money from public fundraising activities to commission the sculptor Giuseppe Moretti to commemorate the famous composer who was born in Pittsburgh. According to the book "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture", the design was created by news editor TJ Keenan who imagined Foster "catching the inspiration for his melodies from the fingers of an old darkey reclining at his feet strumming negro airs upon an old banjo." but ironically, the musician in the statue is meant to represent the subject of Foster's song "Uncle Ned". This bronze statue depicts an elderly black man, dressed up raggedly and barefoot, sitting at Foster's feet, happy to play the banjo.[6] The statue symbolizes black slavery over white supremacy.

Controversy

The sculpture has consistently been controversial monument. Critics call it bigot and as per the Post-Gazette, “glorifies white appropriation of black culture, and depicts the vacantly smiling musician in a way that is at best condescending and at worst racist.” However, others accept that this is only a sign that Foster is listening to songs by dark artists.[5]

Another source said, "The shoeless banjo player is based on “Uncle Ned,” a fictional slave and subject of a song by the same name. Critics have long decried the statue as racist."[7]

Pittsburgh's commission decided to remove the statue in 2018. Some citizen commented, “I’m really glad that it’s being taken down. We need to take a stand on racism in America,” said Bevilacqua. “This isn’t a statue that provides any happiness for anybody but white people. So it’s time to get rid of it and replace it with something that we really care for.” Tthe sculpture was conspicuously put on Forbes Avenue next to the Carnegie Museums and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 O'driscoll, Bill. Controversial Stephen Foster Statue Removed From Schenley Plaza. Wesa FM April 26, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  2. Stephen Foster. Songwriters hall of fame. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. The Lyrics And Legacy Of Stephen Foster. NPR April 16, 2010. Retrieved January 28. 2021.
  4. Frequently Asked Questions About Stephen Foster. The Center for American Music. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Bever, Lindsey. Pittsburgh removes statue of ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ writer who catapulted to fame with minstrel songs. The Washington Post April 26, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  6. O'Driscoll, Bill. The city's most prominent memorial to Stephen Foster continues to offend many. Pittsburgh City Paper April 15, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  7. Hinderaker, John. The Latest Battle In the Statue Wars: Stephen Foster. Center of The American Experiment April 26, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2021.