Greene Vardiman Black

Greene Vardiman Black, 1918

Frederick Cleveland Hibbard

Lincoln Park

North of East North Avenue at North Astor Street

This statue honors the man considered the "Father of Modern Dentistry," Greene Vardiman Black (1836–1915). In fact, it is documented that, "Few can have influenced the development of their professions so markedly as did G.V. Black in the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth." Raised near Winchester, Illinois, invention of the dental drill and use of nitrous oxide during tooth extraction are only two of Black's achievements. He later became a Professor of Pathology at the Chicago College of Dental Surgery (which became the Loyola University School of Dentistry) and, in 1897, was the first Dean of Northwestern University's dental school. Soon after his death, the National Dental Association commissioned sculptor Frederick Cleveland Hibbard (1881–1950) to create this bronze figure mounted on a limestone bench-like base. 
More than fifteen hundred members of that association attended the monument's unveiling ceremonies. Hibbard, who studied under renowned sculptor Lorado Taft, created more than 70 works throughout the United States. His other Chicago pieces include the Eagle Fountains in Grant Park, Carter Harrison Monument in Union Park, Wallach Fountain in Burnham Park and Garden Figure in the Lincoln Park Conservatory.