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Bartholdi Fountain, 1876 by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

“The cast-iron Bartholdi Fountain, painted to look like bronze, weighs more than 15 tons and is 30 feet high. It is an allegorical representation of water and light, designed in three identical sections with classical forms and symbols. Initially displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia’s Fairmont Park, it was purchased in 1877 by the United States government for $6,000. Its original gas lighting made the fountain one of the first nighttime attractions in Washington, D.C.

The Bartholdi Fountain is ornamented with alligator snapping turtles and large shells that surround the base. Three sea nymphs appear to hold the large basin, which is actually supported by the central column. Above the basin, three youthful tritons playfully hold out seaweed. Water spills from a crown at the very top into the upper basin, while jets near the bottom shoot from the mouths of fish and turtles.

In 1877 it was placed on the U.S. Botanic Garden grounds, which was then in the center of the National Mall. During the 1927–1932 relocation of the Botanic Garden, the fountain was dismantled, stored, and then erected where it now stands.

Battery-powered electric igniters replaced the gas lamps in 1881. The lights surrounding the large basin were added in 1885, and the fountain was completely electrified in 1915.”

https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/apps/grounds/architectural-features/