Jasper N. Smith
C.C. Crouch
1906
Stone carving, granite, and Georgia marble
This portrait of Jasper Newton Smith depicts him at age seventy-three. He modelled for this sculpture, and it was placed above his mausoleum during his lifetime. He has thinning hair and a moustache and wears a jacket, but no tie. Smith was an eccentric businessman who became successful in the brick business in Atlanta during the Construction Era, reportedly creating some ten million bricks for Atlanta construction. He disdained wearing ties or cravats and gave instructions to keep vines cleared from the sculpture after his death, lest they be might be mistaken for neckwear.
Jasper N. Smith ordered for his own statue to be built on his mausoleum before he died. C. C. Crouch portrays Smith seated, holding a top hat in his left hand. Engraved on the side of the sculpture is “Jasper N. Smith Born in Walton Co. GA Dec. 29, 1833. A Noble Atlantan Who Built an Empire With His Own Hands”.
Historic Oakland Cemetery
248 Oakland Avenue SE
Atlanta, GA 30312