Category: Arts

Emancipation Statue in Park Square, Abraham Lincoln In Boston

We were looking for a great photo for our What's Open on Presidents' Day Post when we came across this photo of Abraham Lincoln as he was memorialized by sculptor Thomas Ball in the Emancipation Memorial or Emancipation Statue.

Since tomorrow is the actual date of Lincoln's birth, we thought we'd share it with our readers. Perhaps, some of you will stop by and see it to honor the man and the spirit of Black History Month.

(Photograph from the Boston Public Library Collection circa 1877-1895)

It's located in Park Square, but we had never noticed the monument before this research pointed us to it. The memorial is still there today but the view that once existed from the Boston Common and Statehouse is now blocked.

Here's how it looked circa 1930 in this photo from the Leslie Jones Collection at the Boston Public Library.

To orient yourself with the photo above, here's the area (with the Emancipaton Statue as a green triangle just below the words Park Square) from the 1912 Bromley Atlas. (Source: State Library of Massachusetts.)

About the Emancipation Statue

In Boston, this is called the Emancipation Statue. Moses Kimball gave the sculpture to the city in 1874. It's a copy of the original work by Thomas Ball called the Emancipation Memorial in Washington DC.

The Smithsonian American Art Museums descibes the statue in their inventory of outdoor sculputure.

" A portrait of Abraham Lincoln standing by a kneeling male slave, his proper left hand raised as he is about to emancipate the slave. In his proper right hand, which rests on a bronze podium, Lincoln holds an unrolled copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. To the rear of the figures is a whipping post, chains, shackles, and a frayed whip. On each corner of the podium are fasces and around the base of the podium are thirteen stars. A bas-relief of George Washington decorates the angled face of the podium and a Union shield decorates the inner face of the podium."

The artiist, Thomas Ball, was born in Charlestown and is also the sculptor of the Public Garden's iconic statue of George Washington.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: from the Boston Public Library and State Library of Massachusetts

February 11, 2014
Emancipation Statue in Park Square, Abraham Lincoln In Boston

We were looking for a great photo for our What's Open on Presidents' Day Post when we came across this photo of Abraham Lincoln as he was memorialized by sculptor Thomas Ball in the Emancipation Memorial or Emancipation Statue.

Since tomorrow is the actual date of Lincoln's birth, we thought we'd share it with our readers. Perhaps, some of you will stop by and see it to honor the man and the spirit of Black History Month.

(Photograph from the Boston Public Library Collection circa 1877-1895)

It's located in Park Square, but we had never noticed the monument before this research pointed us to it. The memorial is still there today but the view that once existed from the Boston Common and Statehouse is now blocked.

Here's how it looked circa 1930 in this photo from the Leslie Jones Collection at the Boston Public Library.

To orient yourself with the photo above, here's the area (with the Emancipaton Statue as a green triangle just below the words Park Square) from the 1912 Bromley Atlas. (Source: State Library of Massachusetts.)

About the Emancipation Statue

In Boston, this is called the Emancipation Statue. Moses Kimball gave the sculpture to the city in 1874. It's a copy of the original work by Thomas Ball called the Emancipation Memorial in Washington DC.

The Smithsonian American Art Museums descibes the statue in their inventory of outdoor sculputure.

" A portrait of Abraham Lincoln standing by a kneeling male slave, his proper left hand raised as he is about to emancipate the slave. In his proper right hand, which rests on a bronze podium, Lincoln holds an unrolled copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. To the rear of the figures is a whipping post, chains, shackles, and a frayed whip. On each corner of the podium are fasces and around the base of the podium are thirteen stars. A bas-relief of George Washington decorates the angled face of the podium and a Union shield decorates the inner face of the podium."

The artiist, Thomas Ball, was born in Charlestown and is also the sculptor of the Public Garden's iconic statue of George Washington.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: from the Boston Public Library and State Library of Massachusetts

February 11, 2014
See It All: A Curated Digest of Boston-Area Exhibitions Is Our Friday Link

See It All is the place to go if you'd like some insight into the current exhibitions on offer in the Boston area. We are fortunate to have so much choice but deciding which to see and learning a bit about the ones we put on our calendars can be daunting.

And, in the case of smaller museums and organizations, finding out about something like the current Concord Museum's The Best Workman in the Shop show about clockmaker William Monroe can be difficult.

By selecting and concentrating on this local topic, See It All makes it easier for all of us to enjoy these temporary opportunities.

Each post gives you the basics including links, opinion, and the kind of insights and tips a friend might mention in a casual conversation about what they did last weekend.

For the latest updates follow the author on Twitter or Facebook. Then, the next time you say, "What shall we do this afternoon?" you'll have a ready source of good information on possible exhibtions to view.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 22, 2013
See It All: A Curated Digest of Boston-Area Exhibitions Is Our Friday Link

See It All is the place to go if you'd like some insight into the current exhibitions on offer in the Boston area. We are fortunate to have so much choice but deciding which to see and learning a bit about the ones we put on our calendars can be daunting.

And, in the case of smaller museums and organizations, finding out about something like the current Concord Museum's The Best Workman in the Shop show about clockmaker William Monroe can be difficult.

By selecting and concentrating on this local topic, See It All makes it easier for all of us to enjoy these temporary opportunities.

Each post gives you the basics including links, opinion, and the kind of insights and tips a friend might mention in a casual conversation about what they did last weekend.

For the latest updates follow the author on Twitter or Facebook. Then, the next time you say, "What shall we do this afternoon?" you'll have a ready source of good information on possible exhibtions to view.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 22, 2013
See It All: A Curated Digest of Boston-Area Exhibitions Is Our Friday Link

See It All is the place to go if you'd like some insight into the current exhibitions on offer in the Boston area. We are fortunate to have so much choice but deciding which to see and learning a bit about the ones we put on our calendars can be daunting.

And, in the case of smaller museums and organizations, finding out about something like the current Concord Museum's The Best Workman in the Shop show about clockmaker William Monroe can be difficult.

By selecting and concentrating on this local topic, See It All makes it easier for all of us to enjoy these temporary opportunities.

Each post gives you the basics including links, opinion, and the kind of insights and tips a friend might mention in a casual conversation about what they did last weekend.

For the latest updates follow the author on Twitter or Facebook. Then, the next time you say, "What shall we do this afternoon?" you'll have a ready source of good information on possible exhibtions to view.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 22, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013