The heroic-sized sculptures, representing Agriculture, Art, Commerce, History, Justice, Law, Liberty, and Oratory, were carved from Carrara marble in Italy in the late 1880s.

[1] Agriculture is approximately 9 feet (270 cm) tall and carved out of Italian Carrara marble; the sculpture sits on a large cement base.

[2] Art is an approximately 9-foot tall (274.32 cm) statue of a young female figure wearing a floor-length tunic underneath an intricately tied outer garment, which is pinned at her proper left shoulder with a fibula.

The outer garment is belted at the sculpture's upper and lower waist and is approximately two inches shorter than the tunic.

The statue's hair is parted in the middle and pulled back from her face into a twisted bun, and a crown of laurel leaves is nestled atop her head.

There are several dots of an unknown black substance on the marble base underneath her feet, in front of her proper left foot.

There is no discernible foundry mark or signature, but the statue is identified by the black label attached to the cement pedestal underneath her feet, which reads "ART" in gold lettering.

The little finger of her proper left hand, which holds the open book, is also curled slightly, adding a sense of delicacy to her pose.

[5] Doyle’s sculpture Justice is carved from a single block of Carrara marble and is approximately 9 feet (270 cm) tall.

Articles in Indianapolis and Bedford, Indiana newspapers have reported that the model for Justice was Hoosier Mary E. Wilson, née White (27 November 1845 – 11 April 1908).

[8] It is not known if Alexander Doyle and Francis Wilson were acquainted;[7] however, each owned and were involved in the operation of limestone quarries outside Bedford, Indiana.

The sculpture rests on a large square cement base that holds a dark plaque with "LAW" in gold letters.

The statue stands on a large square cement base which holds a black plaque that reads "LIBERTY" in gold letters.

[15] Doyle created half natural size plaster models of the proposed sculptures, and sent photographs of them to the Board of Commissions in early August 1887.

The contract stipulated that the Board of Commissions had the right to “alter, modify, or change” the subjects of the models, and that work on the pieces would not begin until they had approved the designs.

[17] Between August 18 and 19, 1887, the Board of Commissions accepted the proposed designs based on the plaster models, and Doyle was authorized to begin work on the sculptures.

[18] Though Doyle is recorded as having designed and executed the eight statues,[19] a contemporary newspaper article indicates that Italian stone workers actually carved them, earning a wage of $3 to $7 a day.

[20] Heavy tariffs were placed on blocks of marble imported from overseas at the time, but art intended for public exhibition was admitted to the country duty-free.

[20] On March 8, 1888, the Board of Commissions corresponded with Doyle to find out the necessary dimensions of the pedestals which the sculptures would eventually be installed upon, desiring to prepare them in advance.

[22] The statues traveled by freight train after having arrived in America from Italy, and were delivered to the Indiana State House on September 1, 1888.

[24] When General Benjamin Harrison inspected the pieces on September 12 of the same year, he found them still stored in their original shipping containers.

[25] Forty years later, the eight sculptures were cleaned again as part of the renovations to the Indiana Statehouse that took place during "Hoosier Celebration 88.