Immigrant Mother (sculpture)
Encyclopedia
Immigrant Mother is a public artwork by Croatian artist Ivan Meštrović
located in Cathedral Square Park
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, United States
. The bronze
sculpture sits on a red granite
base and depicts a mother with her children.
DEDICATED TO THE/
VALIANT IMMIGRANT MOTHERS/
BY WILLIAM GEORGE BRUCE/
IVAN MESTROVIC
SCULPTOR
(1856-1949) was the force behind the creation of Immigrant Mother. Bruce was a newspaper business manager in Milwaukee born from German
parents. He established the Bruce Publishing Company, and is best known for his efforts in developing and administering the Milwaukee Auditorium. The esteemed businessman was president of the Milwaukee Harbor Commission and instrumental in developing Milwaukee's position as a world port on the Seaway
. He even published a three-volume history of the City of Milwaukee. "Due to his distinguished public service career, Bruce gained the sobriquet 'Mr. Milwaukee."
Bruce bequeathed $30,000 to the city of Milwaukee for the creation of a sculpture that symbolized universal motherhood. It was to be dedicated to his mother, Apollonia Becker Bruce, as well as to all immigrant mothers bringing up children in the New World. "Bruce's heirs chose Ivan Mestrovic to carry out this commission as Mestrovic had immortalized his own mother's image in many of his religious sculptures; Milwaukee's Immigrant Mother may be an example of this homage." Immigrant Mother was placed in Cathedral Square in recognition of Bruce's lifelong devotion to the Roman Catholic Church
.
The sculpture demonstrates the dignity of motherhood. It depicts a mother carrying one child, with another child at her side, in a simple figural style. Tool marks are apparent on the sculpture's rough surface.
Ivan Meštrovic
Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor and architect born in Vrpolje, Croatia...
located in Cathedral Square Park
Cathedral Square Park
Cathedral Square Park is a small urban Milwaukee County Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, located to the west of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist-History:...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
sculpture sits on a red granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
base and depicts a mother with her children.
Description
Mestrovic's Immigrant Mother is located in Milwaukee's Cathedral Square, opposite the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. It stands 7 feet high on top of a 4 feet and 4 inches tall pedestal. The female figure carries a baby in her arms, while a young child stands beside her. An inscription on the front of the base states:DEDICATED TO THE/
VALIANT IMMIGRANT MOTHERS/
BY WILLIAM GEORGE BRUCE/
IVAN MESTROVIC
SCULPTOR
Historical information
William George BruceWilliam George Bruce
William George Bruce was a Milwaukee author, publisher of educational, historical and religious books, and founder of the American School Board Journal...
(1856-1949) was the force behind the creation of Immigrant Mother. Bruce was a newspaper business manager in Milwaukee born from German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
parents. He established the Bruce Publishing Company, and is best known for his efforts in developing and administering the Milwaukee Auditorium. The esteemed businessman was president of the Milwaukee Harbor Commission and instrumental in developing Milwaukee's position as a world port on the Seaway
Seaway
Seaway is a Canadian drama series that aired on CBC from 1965 to 1966. The series was a Seaway Films production in collaboration with the UK's ATV, with production money provided by the CBC...
. He even published a three-volume history of the City of Milwaukee. "Due to his distinguished public service career, Bruce gained the sobriquet 'Mr. Milwaukee."
Bruce bequeathed $30,000 to the city of Milwaukee for the creation of a sculpture that symbolized universal motherhood. It was to be dedicated to his mother, Apollonia Becker Bruce, as well as to all immigrant mothers bringing up children in the New World. "Bruce's heirs chose Ivan Mestrovic to carry out this commission as Mestrovic had immortalized his own mother's image in many of his religious sculptures; Milwaukee's Immigrant Mother may be an example of this homage." Immigrant Mother was placed in Cathedral Square in recognition of Bruce's lifelong devotion to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
The sculpture demonstrates the dignity of motherhood. It depicts a mother carrying one child, with another child at her side, in a simple figural style. Tool marks are apparent on the sculpture's rough surface.