The unpretentious yet majestic statue of John Harvard has been in the Yard only since 1924, when President Lowell had it moved from the delta near Memorial Hall where it had undergone the critical gazes of town and gown since its completion in 1885.

The sculptor, Daniel Chester French, now dead, is one of the most important figures in the history of American sculpture. Among his outstanding accomplishments can be listed the characterization of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, the "Concord Minute Man," and his six figures on the doors of the Boston Public Library. According to the classifications made by Professor Post, French belongs to the "more American" group of sculptors; the continental influence is less discernable in his work than in statues by men like Gutzon Borglum and Barnard, who were strongly affected by the formful litheness of Rodin, the magnificent Frenchman.

In the statue of John Harvard, as in many of his other works, French handles the robes and clothing in a way that makes them provide more than a mere decorative pattern; the apparel has a structural function as well, for it serves to enclose and stabilize the figure and makes the chair upon which the figure is seated an integral part of the monument. The drapery, therefore, fulfills its function excellently, not only by creating a certain decorative and monumental effect, but also by logically unifying the various parts of the statue. It is interesting to note that the difference between the textural quality of the skin and that of the clothing was effected by French's moderate use of the "boss" or roughening method on the latter.

The statue of John Harvard is one of the many landmarks around the University which can justifiably be called good art. It is not flagrantly stylized, yet is representative of the style of a great American sculptor; it is sedate, dignified, and scholarly, but at the same time succeeds in being a forceful, if imaginary, portrayal of the founder.