What are White Bronze monuments?
The Monumental Bronze Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut and their subsidiaries in the U.S. and Canada manufactured monuments between 1875 and 1912. Marketed as superior to stone in terms of durability, the products were referred to as "white bronze." They were cast from pure zinc and were rust resistant. Meant to remain unpainted, they survived remarkably well. Perhaps this is because the cast metal was relatively pure, more than 99% zinc, and the joining metal was also composed of zinc. Zinc develops a protective coating of zinc carbonate or zinc oxide when exposed to the air, forming the unique color characteristic of the white bronze memorial. They also used a unique methodology that included a sandblasted finish to imitate the matte appearance of stone.
Monumental Bronze established subsidiaries throughout the U.S. in an attempt to expand their business. The first subsidiary was opened in Detroit, Michigan in 1881. Detroit Bronze operated until around 1885, when it closed. After the closing of the Detroit operation, two more subsidiaries opened in 1886, one in Chicago and one in Des Moines, Iowa. American Bronze operated in Chicago for twenty-three years, until it closed in 1909. Western White Bronze Company in Des Moines operated for twenty-two years, and closed in 1908. These subsidiaries did not do the original casting, instead they acted as final finishing stations for the monuments. All the original casting took place in Bridgeport.
Prices ranged from $6.00 to around $5,000.00. Neither Bridgeport nor its subsidiaries sold these monuments directly. There were no show rooms; they sold these monuments using sales agents. People chose the design of their monument by looking at ones already set up in the cemeteries. They could also choose designs through catalogs. The term "white bronze" was used to make the monuments sound more appealing. Individual epitaphs were usually cast on separate plates that were fixed to the marker by screws with ornamental heads. Other plates of different images such as sheaves of wheat, angels, etc were used and could be removed and replaced with an epitaph when a family member died.
The monuments ranged in shape and size, but most possess many of the same characteristics. The zinc sculptures ranged from two feet high to as much as fourteen feet tall. Most of them are in the shape of an obelisk, four-sided monolithic pillars that taper as they rise. They have the family name molded on to them, usually at the base of the monument. The base of the sculpture is often cast to resemble rock.
The white bronze markers are “genealogist-friendly”. After 100 to 125 years, every word, every name, every date is as clear and legible as the day it was cast.
Click
here
to see the cover of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN from 1885 showing the Monumental Bronze Company.
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The family of Marcus Levin
Anshe Knesses Israel Cemetery
Forest Park, Illinois
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