One of Chicago's oldest sculptures The Alarm depicts an Ottawa Indian family, commissioned by Martin Ryerson in 1880 and sculpted by John Boyle.
The Alarm depicts a Native American Ottawa Indian family and features a father listening for danger with his wife and infant at his feet and family dog at his side. The sculpture was commissioned in 1880 by Chicago businessman Martin Ryerson, who in his youth had developed friendly relationships with the tribe as a fur trader. The sculpture was commissioned long after the Ottawa tribe were driven away in a forced relocation and Ryerson reportedly was concerned that the sculpture should portray the Ottawa with strength of character and peacefulness contrary to the unfeeling savages stereotypes of the time. The sculptor was the first major commission for John Boyle of Philadelphia, who had spent several months observing Native Americans in North Dakota. Finished in 1884 and originally located at the Lincoln Park Zoo, the sculpture was relocated nearby on the lakefront in 1974. Bronze panels once adorned the base, titled The Peace Pipe, Corn Dance, Forestry and The Hunt but were stolen in the late 1960's. The Chicago Park District later replaced them by carving similar panels into the granite base.
Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: Native American Statue, Lakefront Trail, Chicago, IL, USA
Photo credit: © D Guest Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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