A Man of Foresight by bmac62

Photography • People • posted on Jul 01, 2010

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Description

A little change of pace today. As a photographer, statues always draw me to them. Being naturally curious, I always want to know the answer to these questions, who, what, when, where and why? Yesterday, while visiting the conservatory in Volunteer Park in Seattle, we bumped into this imposing statue of William H. Seward, erected in 1909. I knew of him because he was Secretary of State for two Presidents of the USA. President Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson. I knew of him because he arranged for the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867. Through this acquisition, Seward added 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 square km) of territory (more than twice the size of Texas) to the USA for $7,200,000, or approximately 2 cents per acre (equivalent to US$95 million in 2005). The purchase of this frontier land was alternately mocked by some of the public as "Seward's Folly," "Seward's Icebox," and Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden." Subsequently, the acquisition of Alaska has proven to be an invaluable (priceless) asset to the USA. Bill:) P.S. Seward's statue stands in Seattle in part because of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (a world's fair) of 1909. Details HERE "Potted"

Comments (28)

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durleybeachbum

1:04PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

I didn't know ANY of that..not very surprising, the gaps in my knowledge are oceanic. A superbly lit pic, Bill!

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jmb007

1:05PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

connais pas!mais bonne photo!!!

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DAVER2112

1:17PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Cool statue and history. :)

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kenmo

1:19PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Nice capture...and a great contrast between the statue and the sky...

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Meisiekind

1:22PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Wonderful history and a superb image of this statue Bill! I never seem to get them right! Well done indeed!

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MagikUnicorn

2:05PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

THANKS FOR THE STORY WONDERFUL STATUE BILL ENJOY THIS THE FLYING CAR

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cfulton

2:37PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Thanks for the image of reality and the past, Bill! Well done, Clive

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brycek

3:16PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Wonderful capture and history!!

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MrsRatbag

3:16PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Great bit of information along with this capture, Bill; I know I was taught all that in school a million years ago, but remember absolutely none of it!

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jocko500

3:38PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

wonderful shot

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sandra46

5:47PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

great capture! i suppose he's grinning in the grave about his stupid fellow politicians!

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Faemike55

6:17PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Excellent capture

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Blush

6:54PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Neat looking statue TY for the history Very imformative Hugs Susan~

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bazza

7:26PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Lovely shot and bit of history Bill, a worth while purchase and dirt cheap too..

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npauling

8:52PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

A super statue with excellent character. A lovely angle to take this shot too.

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RodS

9:00PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Indeed, a visionary! Very dramtic lighting on this excellent capture. The dramatic lighting reflects the character of the man.

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kbrog

9:32PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Sure he was mocked then, now we know there was gold and oil. :D Excellent capture!

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blinkings

9:47PM | Thu, 01 July 2010

Great shot and information Bill. Polar bear garden!!!!!!!!! Great minds think alike! I was shooting statues yesterday! I will post some today.

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flavia49

8:43AM | Fri, 02 July 2010

splendid work!!

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kansas

9:48AM | Fri, 02 July 2010

Great shot of this statue. Yes, he did a great service to our country. Many politicians at the time called it "Seward's Folly".

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lyron

1:35PM | Fri, 02 July 2010

Great picture!!!

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dbrv6

10:07PM | Fri, 02 July 2010

Excellent capture and background

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Richardphotos

6:58AM | Sat, 03 July 2010

I recall it in history. beautiful statue and shot

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auntietk

3:01PM | Sat, 03 July 2010

You've done Mr. Seward proud! This is an excellent shot of his statue. The contrast is just right. Nicely done!

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jendellas

1:04PM | Mon, 05 July 2010

He looks a very distinguished fella & a clever one!!!! Thanks for the info, very interesting!!!!

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neiwil

6:13PM | Mon, 05 July 2010

Great capture, a man of foresight indeed, he's kept hold of the receipt all this time, though I fear the warranty may have expired by now :)

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Buffalo1

3:27PM | Sun, 18 July 2010

Excellent shot of William Seward and I am a bit surprised that the artist included the knife wound scar on the right side of his face. Seward was always sensative about what Lewis Powell did to him and his family on April 14, 1865. You have always done fine work with statues, Bill, as your previously posted "Buffalo Soldier" shots show.

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