Barnum Museum - Building Frieze

The old Barnum Museum is located in downtown Bridgeport at 820 Main Street.  There is a frieze - sculpture - above the entrance and windows.  There is also a second frieze above the roof around the rotunda.  The frieze(s) were installed between 1891 and 1893.  The sculpture artist is documented as "UNKNOWN" in the description of the Smithsonian Museum

 (Barnum Museum frieze) .   

Today's blog issue:  Any readers know who sculpted the frieze(s) on the Barnum Museum?  Feel free to comment if you can find out who sculpted the frieze(s).

Some added trivia, the original Barnum Museum was in New York City prior to the building of the museum in Bridgeport, CT. 

Pequonnock Nursery-Plant Nursery (Map 1867-Bridgeport, CT)

Pequonnock Nursery-1867

Just under Berkshire Mill Pond
which is near River Street in today's Bridgeport;

Brooklawn Country Club

Brooklawn Country Club (circa 1921)

http://books.google.com/books?id=pkhIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA70&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3PdQrY0WMqiXNfgMx6RN4kPrPcBQ&ci=55%2C38%2C886%2C585&edge=0

Architecture, Art and Sculpture in or from Bridgeport (cont'd)

Another artist born in Bridgeport (birthdate 1950)
who is included in the Smithsonian Art Archives:

Jane Hammond

http://www.janehammondartist.com/

Painting entitled: My Heavens (Smithsonian Art Archives)

Architecture, Art and Sculpture in Bridgeport (cont'd)

The Bridgeport Arts Festival takes place on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at McLevy Green!

There are a few 19th and 20th Century artists who were born in Bridgeport, CT and left.  One of them is Ed Garman (1914-2004/California):

Painting entitled: No. 260 (Smithsonian Art Archives)

Additional information about Garman and his painting can be found in the following links:

http://www.caldwellgallery.com/bios/garman_biography.html

http://www.abstract-art.com/abstraction/l3_more_artists/ma45_garman.html

Architecture, Art and Sculpture in Bridgeport

My own photos (2010) of the 21 panel concrete cast sculpture by Constantine Nivola on the exterior of the Connecticut Post Building, 410 State Street, Bridgeport, CT.  The following link from the Smithsonian Institute describes the panel content created by the artist for the newspaper buiding:  http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1288UY170V172.40392&profile=ariall&uri=link=3100011~!297143~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=3&source=~!siartinventories&term=Connecticut+Post,+Bridgeport,+Connecticut&index=#focus

The sculpture is actually located on the east side of the building and not the west side as written in the Smithsonian description.  The corner of Lafayette Boulevard and State Street is the best view.  The piece has been there since 1966 and is often unnoticed or passed by in this downtown area.

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

While drivng around the East Bridgport, CT area along the Pequonnock River 3 years ago surveying trees and bird habitat, I noticed this residential building on one of the side streets (see below)  My habit is to take impromtu photos with my cell telephone, so I stopped my truck to get this one since I could not believe my eyes: a slab of stone with my last name.  I am not superstitious, yet I thought there is only one other place that I may ever see my last name carved in stone.  I got out and took this photo.  In any event, my surmise was that this may have once been an exclusive apartment building. 

To digress, I have no particular fascination for cemeteries, although my former significant-other had a thing for scrutinizing old cemeteries on vacations to New Hampshire or weekend wanderings around Pound Ridge, NY.  "I'll wait in the car", I would say.  She had a friend who once insisted that I go to see the old Monks cemetery at the GTE Management Training Center in West Norwalk, CT.  I could not comprehend why? This location ultimately became the Dolce Vida which is a professional meeting and banquet facility. 

Could not ever figure the her out that way.  It was either take me out to breakfast at the Sherwood Diner (Westport, CT) every Sunday morning, or else.  My preference was to be out for a Sunday morning training run through the trails of the Lucius Ordway Nature Conservancy or around Silvermine, CT's serene roads-"hitting the hills" for a 10-15 miler.  Pulling out my racing bike and riding up through East Norwalk and Weston, CT was another option.  All joking aside, my former significant-other missed the Silvermine Cemetery which is a true cemetery buff's delight.  I used to run by the cemetery 5 times a week, but never stopped to go through the gate to look at tombstones of famous local personages.

While I was revisiting Bridgeport, CT's historical East Bridgeport section for scientific reasons, my research trajected into the local 1600's, 1700's, and 1800's history of this place. Based on records, there were no persons with the same last name "George" in the archives of city maps.  One of these days, when I have time and can face the Bridgeport brass, I am going to mosey down to the Town Clerk's Office to find out whose name is on this late 19th- early 20th Century building.