Rated Naughty for the nipples, the navel, and the outfit (a toga sans the customary tunic underneath). Rated Audacious for its randy portrayal of the central figure in American Mythology.
In the words
of an incensed Virginia Statesman: “The man does not live, and never
did live, who saw Washington without his shirt!”
As a neoclassical statue, George Washington seems poised to commit hara-kiri with his sword, perhaps after returning from a college toga party.
“Neoclassical” is Washington, D.C. shorthand for “sculpture with no real clothing.”
Rumor has it that sculptor Greenough originally conceived the statue with Washington at the reins of a chariot, and modified as little as possible after that particular design was rejected.
