This lithograph shows Poe's
Memorial Grave as it appeared shortly after
its unveiling in 1875. The grassy area in front of the grave has been
replaced
by a brick walkway and the surrounding vegetation is rather less lush.
The marble part of the monument measures 80 inches tall, to the peak,
and
tapers downward from 34 inches to 46 inches wide. (The top
ornamentation
measures 4 feet from point to point.) The square granite base on which
it sits measures 6 feet on each side.
The front of the monument features a bas-relief bust of Poe, with the dates 1809 and 1849. (The original portrait of Poe was carved in statuary marble by Frederick Volck. Over the years, the soft marble became terribly weathered and worn. It was replaced in 1938 with a newer copy, cast in bronze. This copy was stolen in the late 1970s and again replaced.)
Poe's full name is given in
capital letters on the base. Each
of the
other sides carries a different inscription: (North side) "Maria Clemm
Poe; Born; March 17, 1790; Died; February 16, 1871"; (West side) "Edgar
Allan Poe; Born; January 20 [sic], 1809; Died; October 7, 1849"; (South
side) "Virginia Clemm Poe; Born; August 15, 1822; Died; January 30,
1847."
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