Over the years, some of the statues that were once in the Boston Public Garden have been replaced. One with an interesting story was the Mother and Child by sculptor, Isidore Konti.
Here is a photo of "Mother and Child" taken by Leslie Jones in 1919. (Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.)
Another view from this wonderful collection that documents so much of Boston's history.
I was curious about what happened to this statue and why it was eventually replaced by the Boy and the Bird.
From the archives of the Boston Globe, I learned that, “The statue was first placed there by the Art Commission in 1912 as one of a number of ‘fountain statues’ exhibited on the Public Garden that summer.” The Park Commission decided that this marble fountain was too fragile to maintain in an outdoor setting.
Groups of citizens including the Metropolitan Improvement League and the Boston City Club had tried to raise the $2500 needed to keep the statue but failed. On May 13th, 1916, it was shipped back to Buffalo, NY to the sculptor.
Today, if you visit that spot, you'll see the Boy and Bird Fountain by Bashka Paeff.
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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: Leslie Jones as noted in captions and © 2015 Penny Cherubino
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