Lapham Memorial
artwork by Albert H. Atkins
The Lapham Memorial is a public artwork by American artist Albert H. Atkins, located near the entrance to Lapham Hall, on the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee campus. It is in memory of Increase A. Lapham, a 19th-century scientist famous for prompting the creation of the National Weather Service and recording the antiquities of Wisconsin, among other accomplishments.
Description
The relief plaque is made out of bronze and is mounted on a granite base. The plaque is approximately 27.5 inches by 37 inches and the base is approximately 50 inches by 82 inches by 82 inches, weighing 40,000 pounds. The plaque is in a landscape format featuring the bust of Increase A. Lapham in the center. The male figure has a mustache and a beard, and is wearing a high collared shirt, a bow tie, and jacket. To the upper left there is an oil lamp, which represents Lapham's contribution to learning in Wisconsin. It is inscribed: "In memory of Increase Allen Lapham." There is a fish on the plaque's upper right representing his interest in the fresh water lakes and natural resources of Wisconsin. It is inscribed: "Naturalist MDCCC.XI . MDCCC.LXXV." The words inscribed below the portrait are as follows: "Erected by his friends in commemoration of his services to the cause of human knowledge and his unselfish devotion to the welfare of the people.
“Lapham Memorial” enters the record as artwork by Albert H. Atkins. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Lapham, Memorial and artwork can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Lapham Memorial” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Lapham, Memorial and artwork provides the most credible route into that argument.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6488156. Authority coordinates are 43.076, -87.883. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Lapham Memorial” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.