George Bridges
1948
Bronze and Tennessee marble
This piece was erected by the membership of the International Association of Machinists on May 5, 1948 to the memory of its founder, Thomas Wilson Talbot (1849-1892). It is one of several historical public art works located in Grant Park. The sculpture features a bearded and mustached bust of Thomas Wilson Talbot wearing an ascot, a vest, and a coat. The bust sits atop a multi-tiered base that is decorated on the front with a bronze machinists’ insignia and flanked on the sides with gear like stone structures.
The inscription on the plaque reads: “Erected by the membership of the International Association of Machinists, May 5, 1948, to the memory of its founder Thomas Wilson Talbot 1849-1892 through wholes efforts came light out of darkness and hope out of despair, and that generations to come might extol his greatness, this monument is solemnly dedicated to free men everywhere who toil for a livelihood.”
George Bridges was an American sculptor who worked in bronze and granite. A large part of his lasting work is in the form of memorial busts and full length portrait statues located in Alabama and Georgia.
Grant Park Plaza
800 Cherokee Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30315