Despite being one of the most iconic (and controversial) landmarks in the United States, it turns out not everybody is aware of what Mouth Rushmore was originally supposed to look like.
The patriotic sculpture is located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, and was originally designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum.
Constructed between 1927 and 1941, this iconic landmark features the carved faces of four revered American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Each face is approximately 60 feet (18 meters) tall - a spectacle that attracts around two million visitors every year.
Situated within the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the design was chosen to symbolize the nation's growth, as each president represents a significant era in American history. From Washington's leadership during the Revolutionary War to Lincoln's efforts to preserve the Union during the Civil War.
However, it originally looked very different in the design process.
After going viral on Reddit, social media users have finally learned what Mouth Rushmore looked like during the design process.
As you can see, the original design - sculpted in plaster - had each former leader posed slightly differently. But the key difference is that fact that we were supposed to see more of their torso than the final result, each with clothing from their respective time periods.
Another design photo from the National Park Service shows that the four busts would have been accompanied by a giant entablature detailing key moments in the history of the United States.
And although the post states that these changes were made due to a lack of funding, Snopes explains that this is only partly true.
The fact-checking site explains that the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act was signed off in 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge, who promised to fund the project entirely through federal funding.
However, sculptor Borglum declined the full amount, insisting on only accepting half and raising the rest through private donations, matching dollar for dollar, according to National Park Service.
This was a huge oversight by Borglum, as the bill authorized funds of up to $250,000 (equivalent to $4 million in 2022). Funding for the project soon became unpredictable as the nation was hit by the Great Depression.
While dad Gutzon traveled to secure funding, son Lincoln oversaw the construction process, where he sadly was met with geological challenges. These resulted in the four presidents having to be relocated and repositioned to where the entablature was supposed to be.
On top of this, the father and son soon realized that the text on the entablature would have been too difficult to read from below - so they scraped the idea.
Borglum died on March 6, 1941, following a surgical procedure.
The designer's death, combined with funding issues, geological difficulties, and the US' involvement in WWII, meant that the project was declared complete on October 31, 1941.
In response to the viral Reddit post, one person commented: "It legitimately never occurred to me that the monument was originally meant to be more than just their heads."
A second added: "I had no idea it was supposed to be full-body models. Awesome."
While the finished design has gone on to educate millions in the decades since, the monument has also received backlash due to the fact it was built on sacred land that was illegally taken from the Native American Sioux Nation in the 1870s.
As National Geographic explains: "Before it became known as Mount Rushmore, the Lakota called this granite formation Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Six Grandfathers Mountain. It was a place for prayer and devotion for the Native people of the Great Plains."
Christine Gish Hill, a professor of anthropology at Iowa State University, told National Geographic: "What happened with the Black Hills is so clearly theft in relation to the U.S.’s own laws."
While we should never overlook the controversial origins of the monument, one can't help but wonder what the original vision would have looked like if brought to life.
Maybe they should have just stuck with the smaller plaster model?
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