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A Walk in Prospect Park, 2

Last week’s post ran from the Marquis de Lafayette at Prospect Park West and 9th Street to the Prospect Park War Memorial. This week we pick up at the Woolman Rink and the Concert Ground. All photos copyright © 2017 Dianne L. Durante.

Wollman Rink

The revamped Wollman Rink, Prospect Park
Railing at the edge of the Lake in Prospect Park. The detail work on the railing and the composition of this photo make me extremely happy.

Abraham Lincoln

This over-life-size Lincoln by Henry Kirke Brown was dedicated a year before the Lincoln in Union Square, which was also Brown’s work. The figure holds a paper – possibly a speech, or the Emancipation Declaration. The base has the insignia of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, plus two eagles. (See the NYC Parks Department’s site for details.)

For comments on how Brown’s to sculptures of Lincoln compare to Saint Gaudens’s Lincoln (in Chicago) and Daniel Chester French’s, inside the Lincoln Memorial, see Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan no. 15.

Henry Kirk Brown, Abraham Lincoln, 1869. Prospect Park.
Henry Kirk Brown, Abraham Lincoln, 1869. Prospect Park.
Henry Kirk Brown, Abraham Lincoln, 1869. Prospect Park. One of two eagles on the pedestal.

Oooh, pretty

Decorative section of fence near the Concert Ground at Prospect Park. It’s not so much the design as the attention to detail that I enjoy seeing.
Decorative urn and wall near the Concert Ground, Prospect Park.

Musicians

In the late 19th century, before radio and TV and MP3 players, gathering to sing was a popular pastime. Many choral groups erected busts of composers in Prospect Park’s Concert Ground.

Here’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dedicated in 1897 by the  United German Singers of Brooklyn. (NYC Parks Dept. info here.)

Mozart at the Concert Ground in Prospect Park, 1897.
Mozart at the Concert Ground in Prospect Park, 1897.

The bust of Ludwig von Beeethoven was dedicated in 1894 by the United German Singers of Brooklyn. (NYC Parks Dept. info here.) Baerer also sculpted a Beethoven for Central Park, near the Bandshell, dedicated in 1884. I think the one in Prospect Park is a more interesting and appealing work – mostly because here, Beethoven is looking up and to the side, not down. Have a look at both and see what you think.

Beethoven at the Concert Ground in Prospect Park, 1894. This is why I wanted to visit Prospect Park on an overcast day: to get shadows that show the forms, but don’t overwhelm the camera.
Beethoven at the Concert Ground in Prospect Park, 1894.

This bust of Thomas Moore, by John G. Draddy, was dedicated by the St. Patrick Society of the City of Brooklyn. (NYC Parks Dept. info here.) Central Park has a bust of Moore by D.B. Sheahan, donated by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Both were dedicated in 1879, the centennial of Moore’s birth. Moore wrote lyrics about his native Ireland rather than music: “The Minstrel Boy” is his most famous song.

Thomas Moore at Concert Ground, Prospect Park, 1879.
Thomas Moore at Concert Ground, Prospect Park, 1879. The scroll reads, “Though glory be gone / and though hope fade away, / thy name, loved Erin / shall live in his songs.”

The bust of Carl von Weber was dedicated in 1909 by the United German Singers. (NYC Parks Dept. info here and here.)

Carl von Weber at the Concert Ground, Prospect Park, 1909. The sun was behind him and Grieg, which made it difficult to get a properly exposed pic.

This bust of Edvard Grieg was dedicated in 1914 by the Norwegian Societies. (NYC Parks Dept. info here.)

Edvard Grieg at the Concert Ground, Prospect Park, 1914.

Concert Grove Pavilion

The Concert Grove Pavilion is full of vividly painted details, but it’s wood throughout, and unfortunately it’s deteriorating.

Concert Grove Pavilion (a.k.a. the Oriental Pavilion), Prospect Park.
Concert Grove Pavilion (a.k.a. the Oriental Pavilion), Prospect Park.

Next week: north to Grand Army Plaza, including memories of a thirty-year-old wedding cake (not mine).

More

  • All photographs in this post are copyright © 2017 Dianne L. Durante.
  • The first post in this series is here.
  • In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. More here.
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