Joseph Henry Freedlander Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1870 - d. 1943

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  • Joseph Freedlander (American, 1870-1943) Statue of Mercury, Fifth Avenue Traffic
    Mar. 17, 2017

    Joseph Freedlander (American, 1870-1943) Statue of Mercury, Fifth Avenue Traffic

    Est: $5,000 - $7,000

    Joseph Freedlander (American, 1870-1943) Statue of Mercury, Fifth Avenue Traffic Light Decoration, 1931 Bronze with golden patina 16-1/2 inches (41.9 cm) high This bronze figure of Mercury was one of 104 which surmounted the traffic lights on the corners of Fifth Avenue from 8th Street to 59th Street in New York City during 1931 to 1964. Joseph H. Freedlander was tasked by the City of New York in the late 1920's to draft a modern, streamlined traffic signal to replace the bulky signal towers at the street corners. Freedlander's resultant design was a four-direction, two-light signal raised on a slender standard. It was one of the first examples of timed traffic lights in the city, alleviating street congestion caused by an increase in car ownership. Freedlander's signal was illustrative of the many municipalities across the United States incorporating elements of the Art Deco aesthetic in public environments to elicit an interpretation of a "modern" city. Christopher Gray, in his February 2, 1997 New York Times Article, Mystery of 104 Bronze Statues of Mercury, related that the last Mercury example was known to have been removed in 1964. Transportation employees were ordered to scrap the entirety of the signals, including the Mercury finials. Very few figures are recorded to have survived including one in the possession of the Fifth Avenue Association, two in the Museum of the City of New York, and approximately three in private collections. HID04901242017

    Heritage Auctions
  • JOSEPH FREEDLANDER | Statue of Mercury, Fifth Avenue Traffic Light Decoration
    Apr. 01, 2015

    JOSEPH FREEDLANDER | Statue of Mercury, Fifth Avenue Traffic Light Decoration

    Est: $5,000 - $7,000

    bronze, brown-green patina

    Sotheby's
  • Gilt bronze model of traffic signal tower for Fifth Avenue, New York, designed by joseph h. freedlander (1870-1943) cast by john polach
    Apr. 20, 2009

    Gilt bronze model of traffic signal tower for Fifth Avenue, New York, designed by joseph h. freedlander (1870-1943) cast by john polach

    Est: $30,000 - $50,000

    Gilt bronze model of traffic signal tower for Fifth Avenue, New York designed by joseph h. freedlander (1870-1943) cast by john polachek, 1924 Eagles with outsretched wings enclosing cornice panels of neo-classical devices and traffic lights, above opaque glass grid, the mid section fitted with clocks, and medallions, one cast with the City of New York Seal, tapering to acanthus leaf and laurel swag decorated base, Inscribed, " John Polachek 1924, " electrified. . H: 25 1/4 in. PROVENANCE: In an effort to control traffic and pedestrian congestion on Fifth Avenue, a competition for the design of traffic signal towers was organized in 1920 by John A. Harris, New York Commissioner of Traffic, and paid for by the Fifth Avenue Association. The winner of the competition was architect Joseph H. Freedlander. By 1922, the elegant neo-classical towers stood along Fifth Avenue between 34th and 57th streets. Short lived, the manually operated towers soon were considered obsolete and and traffic obstacles. They were removed in 1929. An identical Gilt Bronze traffic signal tower model is in the collection of The Museum of the City of New York. Freedlander's original pencil drawings for the traffic signal tower competition are also in the museum's collection. Note: The John Polacheck Bronze and Iron Company was asked to run the Tiffany & Co. Foundry in 1928. LITERATURE: Brown, Henry Collins. "Fifth Avenue Old and New 1824-1924." New York: The Fifth Avenue Association, 1924. Gray, Christopher. "Mystery of 104 Bronze Statues of Mercury." New York Times. Feb. 2, 1997.

    Freeman's | Hindman
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