Alice in Wonderland Statue East 75th Central Park

A Wondering with Alice in Central Park

            Sa “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”

             

 

Mo “What are you talking about.”

Sa “It is a quote from Alice in Wonderland.”

           

Mo “Still don’t get why you are saying that”

         

Sa “Don’t you remember we took a walk through the park and stopped at the statue? This is our first of many pictures with the Statues and famous stops around New York.”

Mo “Mmmm, I remember that we were going to start doing that but did we start? Oh wait was that the day mom and pop pop got us hot dogs from one of those big metal boxes on wheels?”

Sa “Yes the day we got a hot dog from the cart.”

Mo “That was a good hot dog.”

Sa “Yes it was but we need to get back on topic and talk about the statue”

  

Mo “Well I know we were on the East side around 75^th street.”

Sa “Wow impressed how did you know that?”

Mo “We stopped on the steps of the Met on the way to the statue.”

Sa “Do you know anything about the statue itself.”

Mo “Let me see---It was big, it had plenty of little humans crawling on it. Oh and there was a mouse. That is about all.”

Sa “Not bad. Here is some of the things I know about the work. A generous human named George Delacorte commissioned the work in 1959 and was a gift for the children of the city. The bronze statue was inspired by characters of another human Lewis Carroll’s “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. In addition, it was meant as a tribute to his late wife, Margarita, who would read this book to their children.”

Mo “That is a lot of stuff about the statue. What about the metal things on the ground around it?"

Sa “You are on your game today. Those engravings are lines from Lewis’s nonsensical poem, The Jabberwocky".

Mo “Oh oh I do know who made the statue because pop pop told me."

Sa “OK, who?"

Mo “It was made by a sculptor José de Creeft who was a Spanish born American.”

Sa “I am really impressed.”

Mo “Wait it get better. The piece depicts Alice holding court from her perch on the mushroom. The host of the story's tea party is the Mad Hatter, a caricature of George Delacorte. The White Rabbit is depicted holding his pocket watch, and a timid dormouse nibbles a treat at Alice's feet.”

Sa “Wow for not knowing anything about art you sure---What is that?

 

Mo “What?”

Sa “That under your butt”

Mo “Nothing.”

Sa “That is the pamphlet mom got about the park.”

Mo “Ha ha, you got me but you thought I was really smart for a second”

Sa “Yea you got me.”

Mo “Well, goodbye for this week.”

Sa “Farewell, hopefully next time he will not have to cheat to talk about stuff. Leave you with this quote from the book “I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”