Mark Twain Statue

It is totally appropriate that this statue is located in front of the Public Library in Hartford, CT. Because not only does the statue honor one of America’s greatest authors, but it also acknowledges that for many years he lived in Hartford.
He moved to Hartford in 1873 at the age of 38. What did he write as a Hartford resident? How about some of the best beloved works America has seen– The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), Life on the Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889). Not too shabby!
The bronze statue of Twain sits on a granite base and is located at the glass entrance plaza of the library. It was dedicated in 1994.
The statue shows Twain’s famous moustache. He holds a pipe in his right hand and is resting his left arm on a riverboats steering wheel.
The statue’s base has two inscriptions, including his glowing assessment of Hartford’s splendor!
They read:
MARK TWAIN
SAMUEL L. CLEMENS
1835 – 1910
One of the nation’s most celebrated authors,
Mark Twain lived in Hartford during the peak
of his writing career, from 1871 until 1891
Of Hartford Twain wrote: «Of all the beautiful
towns it has been my fortune to see this is
the chief. You do not know what beauty is
if you have not been here.»
A gift from the Hollander family
Dedicated 30 November 1994