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William Penn statue on City Hall Tower, Philadelphia, PA, 1934

Subjects
City Halls & CourthousesHistoric TowersMonuments & MemorialsPublic Figures
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1934 (Linen)
Front of William Penn statue on City Hall Tower, Philadelphia, PA, 1934, Charles F. Williams, PA, USA, c. 1934 linen postcard
Front
Back of William Penn statue on City Hall Tower, Philadelphia, PA, 1934, Charles F. Williams, PA, USA, c. 1934 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

William Penn, founder of Philadelphia, stands in colonial dress and a wide-brimmed hat atop the City Hall Tower, a bronze figure set against the sky. The 37-foot statue by Alexander Milne Calder was hoisted into place in 1894 atop John McArthur Jr.'s Second Empire city hall. Penn faces the Delaware River, and the tower stayed the city's tallest structure until the late 1980s. The statue crowns the tower 550 feet above street level; a circle of electric lights around its base was visible more than 30 miles away at night.

Postcard Details

Message

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PublisherCharles F. Williams
WILLIAM PENN STATUE, ON CITY HALL TOWER, PHILADELPHIA, PA. WILLIAM PENN STATUE ON CITY HALL TOWER, PHILADELPHIA, PA. The Statue of William Penn, founder of the city, crowns City Hall Tower, 550 feet above the street level. A circle of electric lights around the base of the statue is visible over 30 miles at night.
Addressed to

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Postcard record

PublisherCharles F. Williams
Series191
ConditionVery good
PublisherCharles F. Williams, Philadelphia, PA
NotesLinen-textured stock with white border; printer's plate/job number "4A-H2117" printed vertically at lower right, characteristic of Curt Teich & Co. linen cards. No postmark; card is unused and unaddressed. Divided-back linen-texture card with white border; Curteich "C.T. Art-Colortone" stock distributed by Charles F. Williams, Philadelphia. Minor foxing/spotting at lower right corner.

Cite this card

William Penn statue on City Hall Tower, Philadelphia, PA, 1934, postcard, c. 1934. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/william-penn-statue-on-city-hall-tower-philadelphia-pa-1934. Accessed November 2, 2026.