Leiden University Student Repository

Hesse, Melissa (2022)

The “Rough Rider” legend lives on? Institutions confronting an insidious past relating to the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt in current times

Bachelor thesis | Kunstgeschiedenis (BA)

In this thesis, I will explore the controversy pertaining to the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt. This will include a background on the purpose of the statue and its relationship to the American Museum of Natural History, the history behind the ownership of the statue and the information obtained and used by the City of New York on how to proceed with the statue. I will also examine the possible reasoning behind why it is being moved to the Roosevelt Presidential Library located in North Dakota instead of staying in storage, as well as addressing the racial issues associated with this statue and how they are being acknowledged. In closing, I will focus on how major institutions handled the statue and how the removal/relocation may be treated in its new location using the example of VR technology being used at the J. Sims pedestal.

Equestrian

Theodore

Roosevelt

New York

Author

Hesse, Melissa

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Arts, Media and Society

Supervisors

S.M. Lauritano

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en