The Golden Statues of Thomas Paine

Parc Montsouris, Paris - Morristown, New Jersey - Thetford, England.

Readers of this blog may have noted something of a hiatus in recent weeks … or so I’d like to think. The interruption was the result of trip to Europe - something of a long-overdue pilgrimage delayed for more than two years by the onset of the Covid epidemic.

This journey included France, Italy (Florence), UK (London, Lewes, and Rye), and Belgium — but centered primarily in France and England with a fellow Paine scholar and beloved friend. The word “pilgrimage” is intentional in that we set out to walk in the footsteps of Thomas Paine and Gilbert Vale.

The photo below represents just one highlight in many on the journey; the author of with the statue of Thomas Paine at the Parc Montsouris in Paris, France. The following is a tale of this statue and its companions:

This gold-gilt bronze of Thomas Paine is located in the Parc Montsouris along the Boulevard Jourdan in the 14th arrondissement of Paris; the obverse inscription reads:
` THOMAS PAINE
CITOYEN DU MONDE (trans. Citizen of the World)
1737-1809
Englishman by birth
French citizen by decree
American by adoption

On the right face of the pedastal: “QUAND LES OPINIONS SONT LIBRES QU’IL S’AGISSE DE GOUVERNMENT OU DE RELIGION LA VERITE DANS SA PUISSANCE FINIT PAR PREVALOIR.

WHEN OPINIONS ARE FREE EITHER IN MATTERS OF GOVERNMENT OR RELIGION TRUTH WILL FINALLY AND POWERFULLY PREVAIL.”

On the left face: “L’INDEPENDENCE EST MON BONHEUR ET JE VOIS LES CHOSES TELLES OU ELLES SONT. MON PAYS EST LE MONDE ET MA RELIGION CONSISTE A FAIRE LE BIEN.

INDEPENDENCE IS MY HAPPINESS AND I VIEW THINGS AS THEY ARE WITHOUT REGARD TO PLACE OR PERSON. MY COUNTRY IS THE WORLD AND MY RELIGION IS TO DO GOOD.”

And on the reverse:
AUTEUR
DE
COMMON SENSE
THE CRISIS
RIGHTS OF MAN
THE AGE OF REASON

Another inscription on base of the pedestal now obscured by algae, moss, and dirt reads:
Alexis Rudier
Fondeur, Paris

The latter is the mark of the Fonderie Rudier (Rudier Foundry), established by Alexis Rudier (d. 1897) and carried on by his son Eugène Rudier (1875–1952). This famous bronze foundry produced work for many of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, among them Auguste Rodin, Daumier, Gutzon Borglum, Antoine Bourdelle, and Aristide Maillol.

The sculpture in Parc Montsouris is a work of art by Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941), the American sculptor best known for his creation of the Mount Rushmore Monument.

The creation and presentation of this statue is an interesting tale. It’s creation was organized and funded under the aegis of Joseph L. Lewis (June 11, 1889 – November 4, 1968), a now somewhat forgotten American secularist, atheist, author, lecturer, and freethinker.

Lewis, the most prominent leader in American freethought circles in the early and mid-20th century, was a prolific and successful author and publisher who become a great admirer of Thomas Paine after he was introduced by his brother to the writings of Robert G. Ingersoll, one of the great advocates and admirers of Paine in the last half of the 19th century. Joseph Lewis’ own success in publishing resulted in a prosperous and prominent place in American life. His influences on later generations are impressive and lasting. Among them, Lewis raised funds to erect a statue of Thomas Paine in Morristown, New Jersey:

Paine's birthplace at Thetford, England.

and, of course, the statue of Paine in Paris that forms the focal point of today’s entry. Here’s another image of it:

Lewis also placed a bust of Paine in New York University's Hall of Fame

And he was influential in the 1968 issuance of a U.S. postage stamp that honors Paine:

Lewis famously stomped out of the unveiling ceremony for the stamp in Philadelphia when a prayer was offered. The stamp itself is an engraved copy after the famous portrait by the American painter John Wesley Jarvis.

No other person in history matches Lewis when it comes to the placement of monumental representations of Thomas Paine.

You may have noticed that all three statues are gold gilt. This was designed as a visual reference to the statement of Napoleon Bonaparte who, when he met Paine, said that he slept with a copy of Rights of Man under his pillow and that "a statue of gold should be erected to you in every city in the universe." Lewis made a start at it.

The statue we visited in Parc Montsouris is a late work by the American artist Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941), best remembered for his creation of the monument at Mount Rushmore. Created in 1936, the golden statue was to be erected the as a gift dedicated to the people of France. Who remembers what happened in 1939 and specifically on May 10, 1940 before the statue could be dedicated ? Answer: Adolf Hitler’s army invaded France and occupied Paris. The statue, already cast in Paris, was rushed to a secret burial to keep it safe from the invaders. It was finally presented to the people of France and dedicated in 1948.

Copyright Kenneth W. Burchell, 2022. All Rights Reserved