In the 1870s, this larger-than-life-size version of the statesman was commissioned for Central Park. It proved too large for placement on the Mall as originally intended and was subsequently installed on the West Drive. During the mid-19th century, Thomas Ball sculpted a bust of Daniel Webster shortly before the Massachusetts senator died. His work was such a success that he made a statuette of the figure that went on to be patented and repeatedly replicated, one of the first mass-produced pieces in the United States. In the 1870s, Gordon W. Burnham requested that Ball make a larger-than-life-size version of the statue for Central Park. It proved too large for placement on the Mall as its donor intended and was subsequently installed on the West Drive.