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Angel of Death

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1916–1918, Daniel Chester French. N. 2nd St. at Lafayette St., southeast corner of Fairview Cemetery
  • Angel of Death (David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim)

The winged figure of the Angel of Death holds a basin of water, symbolizing eternal life. She stands on the prow of a boat that sails toward the viewer. The cast-bronze figure was commissioned as a memorial to Ruth Anne Dodge, the wife of the railroad builder Grenville M. Dodge. The accompanying landscape design is as impressive as the sculpture itself. Steps lead up to a forecourt defined informally by shrubs. The figure has been placed at one end of the forecourt, with a backdrop of large hardwood trees.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
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Data

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Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Angel of Death", [Council Bluffs, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-MW036.

Print Source

Buildings of Iowa, David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 468-468.

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