Central Park Monuments and Sculptures
A total of 29 sculptures have appeared since 1863 in New York City's 843-acre Central Park. While many early statues are of authors and poets along "Literary Walk" and American figures like Daniel Webster and "the Pilgrim", other early works were simply picturesque, like The Hunter and The Falconer; other notable statues include sled dog Balto, the so-called "Cleopatra's Needle"—an Egyptian obelisk—Alice of Wonderland, and most recently Duke Ellington.
Balto - Balto was dedicated to the sled dogs that led several dogsled teams through a snow-storm in the winter of 1925 in order to deliver medicine that would stop a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. The sculpture is slightly larger than the real-life dog, and is placed on a rock outcropping on the main path leading north from the Tisch Children's Zoo. The sculpture was created by Frederick George Richard Roth, and placed in the park in 1925.
Eagles and Prey, designed and created by Christophe Fratin, is the oldest known sculpture in any New York City park. It is made of bronze, and was cast in Paris, France in 1850 and was placed in the park in 1863.
Still Hunt by sculptor Edward Kemeys (1843–1907) was placed in the park in 1883. This bronze sculpture of a crouching cougar waiting to pounce, was created by Edward Kemeys, the famous American sculptor who also created the famous Hudson Bay wolves at the Philadelphia Zoo, and lions at the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Many other sculptures highlight the beauty of the Central Park. All the pictures have been taken by Elena.
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| Alice in Wonderland. This large sculpture depicts Alice, from Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alice is pictured sitting on a giant mushroom reaching toward a pocket watch held by the White Rabbit. Peering over her shoulder is the Cheshire cat, flanked on one side by the dormouse, and on the other by Mad Hatter, who in contrast to the calm Alice looks ready to laugh out loud at any moment. The poem, "The Jabberwocky" is also included; chiseled in a granite circle surrounding the sculpture: 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe The design of the sculpture attracts many children who want to climb its many levels, resulting in the bronze's glowing patina, polished by thousands of tiny hands over the years since the sculpture was unveiled. |
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| José Marti at the main entrance of the park. |
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| Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish fairy-tale writer, his most notable work being "The Ugly Duckling". His statue features him sitting and reading to a stray duck. The 1956 work by sculptor Georg J. Lober was constructed with contributions from Danish and American schoolchildren. It was cast at Modern Art Foundry, Astoria, Queens, NY. |
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| José de San Martin, national hero of Argentina. |
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| Thomas Moore. |
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| Simon Bolivar, freedom-fighter for Latin America. The equestrian sculpture of Simón Bolívar was originally sited on the rock outcropping between 82nd and 83rd Streets overlooking Central Park West, where the Bolívar Hotel, once facing it, commemorates its location. After Sixth Avenue was renamed Avenue of the Americas in 1945, the sculpture was relocated in the 1950s to be adjacent to those of fellow Latin American revolutionary leaders José de San Martín and José Martí at the head of the Avenue of the Americas. |
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| Obelisk. The 107th Infantry Memorial is dedicated to the men who served in the 107th New York Infantry Regiment, originally Seventh Regiment of New York, during World War I. The regiment was, as its name implies, stationed in New York, and consisted of males mainly from this region. In 1917, the National Guard's 7th New York Infantry Registry Division. |
