Bison Bas-Relief - National Parks Gallery

Plaster model of a bison head sculpted by Alexander Phimister Proctor and given to Theodore Roosevelt. In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt replaced the stone carved lions on the mantle of the State Dining Room at the White House with carvings of the American bison. TR viewed the lion as a symbol of European monarchy and thought that a uniquely American animal, such as the bison, should be used instead. This object is located on the mantle in the Library in the Theodore Roosevelt Home.