Dickens and Little Nell (Elwell)
Encyclopedia
Dickens and Little Nell is a bronze sculpture
by Francis Edwin Elwell
that stands in Clark Park
, Spruce Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, at South 43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue. A depiction of the 19th-century British author and his character Nell Trent (from his novel The Old Curiosity Shop
), the grouping was one of the most celebrated American sculptural works of the late 1800s, but by the early 21st century had become somewhat obscure.
It is one of just two known statues of Dickens, who said he wanted no such representations.
, who wanted it placed in London but subsequently backed out of the deal. Elwell, a sculptor based in New York City, completed the work anyway and had it cast by the Bureau Brothers foundry
in Philadelphia, where it won a gold medal from the Art Club of Philadelphia
in 1891. The next year, he shipped it to London and put it on display in hopes of finding a buyer, but was unsuccessful, largely because Dickens’ will forbade any "monument, memorial or testimonial, whatever. I rest my claims to remembrance on my published works and to the remembrance of my friends upon their experiences of me."
So Elwell shipped the work back across the Atlantic, and on to Chicago, where it won two gold medals at the World's Columbian Exposition
of 1892-93. The New York Times wrote, "Among the art exhibits of this country at the World's Fair, probably no particular example has attracted more popular interest than the sculptural memorial to Charles Dickens, the work of Mr. F. Edwin Elwell, a young artist". But the work failed to find a buyer immediately, and Elwell had it sent back halfway across the country to a Philadelphia warehouse.
In 1896, the Fairmount Park Art Association
(FPAA) opened negotiations to buy the work and keep it in Philadelphia, perhaps because "Dickens was twice a visitor here, in 1842 and again 1867, and garnered a following of almost rock star proportions."
In 1900, FPAA bought the sculpture for $7,500 ($ today); it was placed in Clark Park the following year. By 1908, the association was receiving, and rebuffing, requests to move it to a more prominent place in the city.
In 1911, the sculpture was mentioned in the Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the city's notable artworks.
The sculpture was vandalized in November 1989, but restored.
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
by Francis Edwin Elwell
Francis Edwin Elwell
Francis Edwin Elwell was an American sculptor.-Life:Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Elwell was orphaned at age four and, according to various sources, was adopted by author Louisa May Alcott or grew up under the care of his grandfather, a Mr...
that stands in Clark Park
Clark Park
Clark Park is a municipal park in the Spruce Hill section of West Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its are bordered by 43rd and 45th streets, and by Baltimore and Woodland Avenues....
, Spruce Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spruce Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spruce Hill is a neighborhood in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is between 40th and 46th streets, and it stretches from Market Street south to Woodland Avenue. It has a population of over 16,000. It was built as a streetcar suburb for Center City between 1850 and...
, at South 43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue. A depiction of the 19th-century British author and his character Nell Trent (from his novel The Old Curiosity Shop
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London....
), the grouping was one of the most celebrated American sculptural works of the late 1800s, but by the early 21st century had become somewhat obscure.
It is one of just two known statues of Dickens, who said he wanted no such representations.
History
It was commissioned in 1890 by Washington Post founder Stilson HutchinsStilson Hutchins
Stilson Hutchins was an American newspaper reporter and publisher, best known as founder of the Washington Post.Hutchins was born in Whitefield, Coos County, New Hampshire, on 14 November 1838, the son of Stilson Eastman and Clara Eaton Hutchins...
, who wanted it placed in London but subsequently backed out of the deal. Elwell, a sculptor based in New York City, completed the work anyway and had it cast by the Bureau Brothers foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
in Philadelphia, where it won a gold medal from the Art Club of Philadelphia
Art Club of Philadelphia
The Art Club of Philadelphia, often called the Philadelphia Art Club, was a club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded on February 7, 1887, to advance the arts...
in 1891. The next year, he shipped it to London and put it on display in hopes of finding a buyer, but was unsuccessful, largely because Dickens’ will forbade any "monument, memorial or testimonial, whatever. I rest my claims to remembrance on my published works and to the remembrance of my friends upon their experiences of me."
So Elwell shipped the work back across the Atlantic, and on to Chicago, where it won two gold medals at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1892-93. The New York Times wrote, "Among the art exhibits of this country at the World's Fair, probably no particular example has attracted more popular interest than the sculptural memorial to Charles Dickens, the work of Mr. F. Edwin Elwell, a young artist". But the work failed to find a buyer immediately, and Elwell had it sent back halfway across the country to a Philadelphia warehouse.
In 1896, the Fairmount Park Art Association
Fairmount Park Art Association
The Fairmount Park Art Association was founded in 1872 in Philadelphia to provide public art in Fairmount Park. The Association now maintains and provides information to the public for outdoor sculpture throughout Philadelphia....
(FPAA) opened negotiations to buy the work and keep it in Philadelphia, perhaps because "Dickens was twice a visitor here, in 1842 and again 1867, and garnered a following of almost rock star proportions."
In 1900, FPAA bought the sculpture for $7,500 ($ today); it was placed in Clark Park the following year. By 1908, the association was receiving, and rebuffing, requests to move it to a more prominent place in the city.
In 1911, the sculpture was mentioned in the Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the city's notable artworks.
The sculpture was vandalized in November 1989, but restored.
External links
- http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/detail.aspx?ImageId=6319
- http://members.cruzio.com/~varese/dickens/statue.html
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/moocat/352862347/