Ludwig van Beethoven, Statue - Fotografie einer Plastik von Theodore Baur in der Library of Congress, Washington

In the mid 19th century artists and scientists of the middle classes were honoured by rather plain sculptures. The honoured persons were usually depicted in a standing position, often with the legs slightly apart. Their clothing was contemporary and they often wore a long coat to visually enlarge the statue and render them more monumental. Quite frequently, these sculptures were erected on a square pedestal decorated with inscriptions and reliefs.

Examples for such monuments include the monument for Jean Paul in Bayreuth (1841), the Goethe monument in Frankfurt (1844) and the Beethoven monument in Bonn (1845). Until the first half of the 20th century memorials like this were erected for Beethoven. German-American sculptor Theodore Baur (1835-1894) chose this type of monument for the Beethoven statue in front of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. (S.B.)