Sepia Saturday 220: 22 March 2014


Alan from Sepia Saturday says:

Our sepia friend Postcardy suggested statues and monuments as a theme for this week and also pointed us in the direction of this 1914 photograph of the Jefferson Statue in Columbia (which is taken from the Library of Congress collection on Flickr Commons). Photographers of all ages and all times have always been drawn to statues : there is nothing like a mounted equestrian hero or a stone-clad voluptuous heroine to get the camera shutters clicking. So for Sepia Saturday 220 (post your posts on or around Saturday 22 March 2014) all you have to do is to highlight an old photograph which in any convoluted way fits in with the theme image and tell us a little about it. Post your post, link your link, visit your visitors and help make Sepia Saturday a monument to blogging nostalgia.

Statues...I love 'em.  Brisbane's got quite a few when you think about it.  We got all excited about them during World Expo '88 and the ones from Expo are scattered throughout the city and Queensland now delighting tourists and resident alike.  Have a squizz here if you're interested.

City workers might recline and admire Queen Victoria's statue in Queen's Park or the one of TJ Ryan our 19th Premier and ponder on his early demise.  I live in the Federal seat of Ryan named after him.

From State Library of Queensland - View across Queen's Park. Palm trees, trimmed lawns, and flower beds set the scene for a relaxing moment in the park. The old Executive Building stands on the left with a statue of Queen Victoria, first unveiled by Lord Chelmsford in 1906, in front of it. Field guns were located in the park either side of the Queen Victoria memorial, commemorating Queensland's participation in the South African War of 1899-1902. Motor cars can be seen parked along George Street.

Here's a picture of the day the statue of Queen Victoria was unveiled.  
Goodness!  They were pretty excited then too.


From State Library of Queensland

And again in 1925 when they unveiled the one of TJ Ryan.  I think they must have moved the statue since if you look at where it's located now on Google Maps.



State Library of Queensland - Crowd gathers at the unveiling of a statue of T. J. Ryan at Queens Garden in Brisbane, 1925 




View Larger Map

There's lots of sculpture to see now at our beautiful Gallery of Modern Art including an elephant standing on its head here....and an exhibition of Cia Guo Qiang's work which I have yet to see but of which I am hearing rave reviews.  You can read more about it here.

When I was ten we travelled to Europe where there was lots....and lots of sculpture.



It is important to record what a dag I have been in my life...I see with shame that I am wearing socks with sandals...sigh.  The ignominy will never end.




The statue above reminds me of many hours in Latin trying to translate Ovid's Cupid and Psyche.  But I think it is actually a photo of Berninis sculpture of Apollo and Daphne.






Statues galore...I'm ashamed that I can't name them.




So we were fasincated with things classical then.  What an amazing place.






Here are some snaps I found of more statues from my grandfather's collection.  I think they're rather sweet.  And to think that I was only in the same place a couple of weekends ago.  Boy the trees have grown.


Tom McLoughlin at the Archibald Fountain Hyde Park, Sydney c. 1930s


If you look at the photo of Tom, you can see the Anzac Memorial in the background there.  Here is another photo of it at about the same time.  To check out what it looks like today go here.

It is a sculpture (by Sicard) of Apollo with Diana to the left and Theseus to the right.



Kit McLoughlin at the Archibald Fountain Hyde Park Sydney

This is written on the back of Kit's photo.



Perhaps the most loved photo in our family of a sculpture is this one of my mother aged 4 and 1/2 precisely on the lioness statue in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney.



Barbara McLoughlin c 1939


If you want to find the lions, they are Number 18 on this map here.


Here are some later photos of my mother at Ashfield Park near the war memorial.




Who remembers playing "Statues" when they were a kid.? Great game.  

For more statues and memorial head over here.

Comments

Wendy said…
Oh my goodness -- we used to play Swing the Statue. Is that the same game you played?

Is your statue of Apollo and Daphne in Rome? If so, I saw it at the Borghese. Amazing! So smooth. No sign of a chisel anywhere.
Anonymous said…
A lovely collection of photos but my jaw dropped open when you mentioned playing Statues. I wouldn't have remembered that in a million years if you hadn't reminded me. Great fun. Thanks.
Unknown said…
Oh, my goodness -- I remember playing "statues" in the gray light of dusk; all the neighborhood kids -- but I don't remember what we called it! "Swing the Statue" sounds interesting, but it isn't what we said...
Boobook said…
The photo of your mum on the statue is delightful. And I too had completely forgotten about the statues game that we used to play in primary school.
Barbara Rogers said…
Thanks for beauty and fun...yes we played statues also in St. Louis when I was young. And my grands (grandchildren) have also!
La Nightingail said…
Very nice post with a wealth of statues & wow, those trees behind the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park certainly HAVE grown! We used to play statues but my balance has never been great - something to do with poor special relations - & I was invariably one of the first to break my pose. Oh well . . .
Alex Daw said…
Hi Wendy - Yes, that statue was in Rome. I don't know about Swing the Statue. Our game was where you sent one person out the front and then the rest of you stood in a line. Then when they turned their back, you all moved forward towards them as quickly as you could before they turned around again. If they caught you moving, you were "out". If you got to touch them without them seeing you move, you won!
Alex Daw said…
Thanks boundforoz. It's funny what we remember isn't it?
Alex Daw said…
It was a great game wasn't it?
Alex Daw said…
Thanks Boobook. I love that photo and the game was great fun.
Alex Daw said…
Now I'm thinking we should just have a post about games we played!
Alex Daw said…
The trees behind the Archibald Fountain are so very beautiful now. They are like a Cathedral. So awe inspiring.
luvlinens said…
Great photos, enjoyable post, I remember swinging statue as a child as well.
Alex Daw said…
OK - so is Swing the Statue the same as the game I've described? Or is it more perilous and does it involve smashing statues????
Brett Payne said…
A lovely set of statue photos, thanks for sharing them. Also interesting to read on the ubiquitous Wikipedia that the term "dag" has a slightly different meaning in Australia as it does in New Zealand. In Australia, "someone who is, or is perceived to be, unfashionable, lacking self-consciousness about their appearance" - which appears to be as you've used it - but in NZ, "an amusing, quirky and likeable person and is non-pejorative."
Kristin said…
We used to play statues too! After looking at your pictures, I'm remembering more and more statue pics.
Alex Daw said…
Hi Brett - well I never knew about that important but subtle difference. I think I shall move to NZ where I will be much more appreciated. Hurrumph.
Alex Daw said…
Aha! A universal game I see.
Bob Scotney said…
Even I remember the statues game but we only played when girls were involved - don't ask me why.
Postcardy said…
I love the photo of your mother on the lion, but I am against letting children climb on statues.

I have never heard of a "dag" here.
Alex Daw said…
I think it was very much a "party" game Bob. The kind where boys and girls were made to play games together at an age where perhaps they would have preferred to play apart....
Alex Daw said…
Dear Postcardy well I must warn you that dag in its original sense (as I understand it) is in fact not a very nice term at all.
21 Wits said…
Don't berate yourself over childhood fads, or mix matches, as I still see (more often men) folks wearing socks with sandals yet today! I sure enjoyed seeing your family photos, you can see the happiness throughout,
Alex Daw said…
Thank you Karen. Kind words indeed.
You've reminded me of the story my art history professor once told about the Venus de Milo statue at the Louvre. Turns out they found the statue and later found the arms and head, but the buyer liked it headless and armless so they got tossed.
You're not a dag if your parents / mother made you wear something! That's what I like to believe anyway.
And, yes, we played statues - one of the few games you could play in a primary school of very few kids
Sharon said…
Yes, I also remember playing statues.

All those statues but your post made me think about our trip to the Expo in 1988. It was one of the first trips away with my husband-to-be. I have a picture sitting on a park bench with a clown statue sitting beside me. I will have to go and find it......it's in a photo album somewhere.
Jofeath said…
I remember playing statues too, just to add to the list. Of course the original meaning of dag in both Aus and NZ would be something rather unattractive hanging from the rear end of a sheep, but never mind that! Nice photos of your family with statues.
Little Nell said…
That Queen Victoria got everywhere. I my own home city crowds would gather for an unveiling, not so these days I think. The acrobatic elephant is wonderful!
Alex Daw said…
Tee hee! Can it be true?
Alex Daw said…
Jackie you know my mother too well. Yes, I'll blame her. That's what parents are for isn't it?
Alex Daw said…
So many happy memories of Expo...it's when Brisbane came of age really.
Alex Daw said…
Hoorah. I can see a virtual game coming on. Thanks Jo.
Alex Daw said…
Little Nell that elephant is wonderful indeed.

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