Statue of William Shakespeare (New York City)

The bronze statue of William Shakespeare standing before you carries a history tied to a remarkable and tragic theatrical collaboration. To raise the funds for this monument, the famous Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth organized a special benefit performance of Julius Caesar in 1864. He performed alongside his brothers, Junius Brutus Booth and the man who would infamously assassinate President Abraham Lincoln just months later, John Wilkes Booth. This remains the only time the three brothers ever appeared on stage together. The sculptor, John Quincy Adams Ward, faced a unique challenge in creating the work because no definitive likeness of the playwright exists. He chose to synthesize the facial features from three different historical portraits and relied on his friend, the actor James Morrison Steele MacKay, to serve as the model for the statue's contemplative, pensive posture. The resulting figure wears clothing modeled after the Elizabethan costumes used by Edwin Booth, blending historical research with the personal touches of the contemporary New York theater scene.