Thought and Memory

Tag: Statues

  • Thorfinn Karlsefni

    Statue of Thorfinn Karlsefni by Einar Jónsson in Philadelphia.

    Vandals topple Philadelphia statue of Viking explorer into Schuylkill River 

    Why would anyone do this?

    Thorfinn_Karlsefni_1918

    Thorfinn Karlsefni is a bronze statue by Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson. The first casting of it is located in Fairmount Park on Kelly Drive, at the North end of Boathouse Row, Philadelphia. The sculpture was commissioned by Joseph Bunford Samuel through a bequest that his wife, Ellen Phillips Samuel, made to the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association), specifying that the funds were to be used to create a series of sculptures “emblematic of the history of America.” Thorfinn Karlsefni (1915–1918) was installed along Philadelphia’s Kelly Drive near the Samuel Memorial and unveiled on November 20, 1920. The artwork is one of 51 sculptures included in the Association for Public Art’s Museum Without Walls: AUDIO™ interpretive audio program for Philadelphia’s outdoor sculpture.There is another casting of the statue in Reykjavík, Iceland.

    The inscription reads: (Sculpture, lower proper left:)
    Einar Jonsson
    sculptor
    1915-18

    (On back of Karlsefni’s shield: Icelandic verse)
    From the island of the North, of ice and snow,
    Of blossoming valleys and blue mountains,
    Of the midnight sun and the dreamy mists,
    The home of the goddess of northern lights.

    (Base, front:)
    Thorfinn Karlsefni
    Icelander
    1003-1006

    (Base, front plaque:)
    Following Leif Ericson’s Discovery of
    North America in 1003, Thorfinn Karlsefni
    with 165 men and 35 women established a
    settlement which lasted for 3 years and
    his son Snorri was born in North America
    Leif Ericson Society of Pennsylvania
    Scandinavian Craft Club of Philadelphia
    October 9, 1974

    Via Wikipedia

     

  • Captain Cook statue to be removed

    Captain Cook statue to be removed

    A statue of Captain Cook will be removed from a hill in New Zealand following protests by the local Maori community which says its ancestors arrived there long before the famous British explorer. via The Telegraph

    Unable for comment, the Moriori.

    cc2

     

  • San Francisco to remove 19th century statue

    San Francisco to remove 19th century statue some call racist via APNews

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     March 2, 2018 file photo shows a statue that depicts a Native American at the feet of a Spanish cowboy and Catholic missionary in San Francisco. A San Francisco board has decided to remove the 19th-century statue that activists say is racist and demeaning to indigenous people. The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, on the “Early Days” statue. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco board has voted unanimously to remove a 19th century statue that activists say is racist and demeaning to indigenous people.

    The unanimous decision Wednesday night by the San Francisco Board of Appeals involves the “Early Days” statue, which depicts a Native American at the feet of a Spanish cowboy and a Catholic missionary. It is part of a group of statues near City Hall that depict the founding of California.

    After it is removed from public viewing, the statue will be restored and put in storage until officials decide what to do with it, Patterson said.

    I wonder what will become of it?