The figures above the fountains on either side of the main entrance are by Frederick MacMonnies; the man seated on the Sphinx, on the northern side of the entrance represents Truth. On the southern side, the figure of the woman seated on Pegasus represents Beauty. Above the figure of Truth is this inscription from the Apocrypha (1 Esdras, chapter 3):
BUT ABOVE ALL THINGS TRUTH BEARETH AWAY THE VICTORY
The inscription above the figure of Beauty is:
BEAUTY OLD YET EVER NEW ETERNAL VOICE AND INWARD WORD
This is from the twenty-first stanza of Whittier's poem, "The Shadow and the Light."
The six figures above the main entrance are by Paul Bartlett; naming them from north to south they are: History, Drama, Poetry, Religion, Romance, and Philosophy. Above the entrance are inscriptions concerning three of the component parts of The New York Public Library. They are as follows:
THE LENOX LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JAMES LENOX DEDICATED TO HISTORY LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS MDCCCLXX
THE ASTOR LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JOHN JACOB ASTOR FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE MDCCCXLVIII
THE TILDEN TRUST FOUNDED BY SAMUEL JONES TILDEN TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF SCIENCE AND POPULAR EDUCATION MDCCCLXXXVI
MDCCCXCV THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY MDCCCCII
Of the dates in this inscription, the first, 1895, is that of the incorporation of The New York Public Library; the second, 1902, is that of the laying of the cornerstone.
The statue of William Cullen Bryant, behind the Library, is by Herbert Adams.
=The rear of the building= should be viewed from Bryant Park. The long windows are to light the bookstack. Some critics have commended the rear of the building very highly. Mr. A. C. David, in the article previously quoted, says:
"This façade is very plainly treated, without any pretence to architectural effect. It is, indeed, designed frankly as the rear of a structure which is not meant to be looked at except on the other sides. Any attempt, consequently, at monumental treatment has been abandoned. The building is designed to be seen from Fifth Avenue and from the side streets. The rear, on Bryant Park, merely takes care of itself; and one of the largest apartments in any edifice in the United States is practically concealed, so far as any positive exterior result is concerned."