Soldiers and Sailors Monument Riverside Drive, West 89th Street, NYC

Mo “Hey!”

                                                                                          Sa “Yea, what?”

Mo “What are we going to talk about this week.”

Sa “Was thinking about since pop pop was in the service we should talk about the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.”

Mo “Oh the big columns near the dog park on 89^th street and Riverside?”

Sa “Yes that’s the one.”

Mo “So what can you tell me about it?”

Sa “The monument was commissioned by the State of New York in 1893, the competition was held in 1897. The purpose was to commemorate the Union Army soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War.”

Mo “I know that it was designed by the Stoughton brothers, engineer Charles W. and architect Arthur A. Stoughton. They are the ones who won the competition with a design inspired by Greek antiquity.”

Sa “Another week you are on the ball. Did you get offered more food?”

Mo “Kind of while you were sleeping pop pop gave me chicken to be good.”

Sa “That is OK I got mine before I went to sleep while you were going potty. But back on track. The monument has a cylindrical form of white marble with 12 Corinthian columns, it is capped with richly carved ornament of eagles and cartouches. The design was based upon the ancient Choragic monument of Lysicrates from the 4^th BC in Athens, an iconic form used during the Greek Revival in 19th century America.”

Mo “Ooo ooo wait I know that it stands at 100 feet, it is larger in scale than the relic it imitates.”

Sa “Good we are getting the hang of doing this stuff. The plinths that stand atop the south stair list the New York volunteer regiments that served during the war, as well as the Union generals and the battles they led. The ornament was sculpted by a human named Paul E. Duboy. Several features were never realized, including a pathway down to the Hudson and a more developed plaza area to the south of the monument.”

Mo “That is pretty awesome for this week.”

MoSa “And for all those humans who like the images here and want to see more you can visit our moms site to view or even purchase images from the link below. Remember all purchases helps our puppy parents buy treats.”

https://bkpphotography.smugmug.com/travel

Bethesda Fountain 65th Street Central Park

Sa “Today will talk about something we found in the park.”

Mo “We find stuff all the time. So what do you want to talk about.”

Sa “The Bethesda Fountain.”

Mo “Oh I remember the big statue with the scary water coming out of it.”

Sa “Yes that is the one in fact it is one of the largest fountains humans can find in New York, measuring twenty-six feet high by ninety-six feet wide.”

Mo “Wow that is huge. What else do you know?”

Sa “Really? You want me to talk some more.”

Mo “I am really starting to get in to learning.”

Sa “Mmmm, you sure?”

Mo “Well actually pop pop said I can have a hot dog if I listen to you babble on.”

Sa “Ok then let me give you some great info. The fountain is well known around the world. In addition, the statue is the only sculpture to have been commissioned as a part of Central Park's original design.”

Mo “The only one? So all the other ones were gotten some other way.”

Sa “Yes. Also the neoclassical sculpture named the Angel of the Waters, features an eight-foot bronze angel who stands above four small cherubim representing health, purity, temperance, and peace.”

Mo “Cherubim? You mean the fat human babies?”

Sa “Ahh yea the fat babies. The angel carries a lily in one hand while the other remains outstretched, this action is to deliver a blessing on the water pouring around her feet and into bottom of the fountain. This is to symbolize and commemorate the 1842 opening of the Croton Aqueduct, which supplied New York City with fresh water.”

Mo “Wow you are getting good at knowing this stuff.”

Sa “I am trying to help us both to appreciate the stuff around us.”

Mo “You know I can tell you that the Angel of the Waters was designed by a human named Emma Stebbins in 1868. Then dedicated in 1873.”

Sa “Interesting. What else?”

Mo “Ummm. That’s it for me.”

Sa “Oh let me tell you that after the dedication this human became the first woman to receive commission for a major work of art in the city of New York.”

Mo “Nice. That is about it for this week?”

Sa “Yes.”

MoSa “And for all those humans who like the images here and want to see more you can visit our moms site to view or even purchase images from the link below. Remember all purchases helps our puppy parents buy treats.”

https://bkpphotography.smugmug.com/travel