RON HENGGELER

February 11, 2008
The sphinx in Golden Gate Park

Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Crissy Field

The Sphinxes
The pair of crouched Egyptian mythical figures by sculptor Arthur Putnam guards a walkway seemingly to nowhere---but this was once the pathway to the Egyptian- style Fine Arts Building for the 1894 Midwinter Fair. These figures replace the original ones, which disappeared sometime after the 1906 earthquake. Stories abound about the material and fate of the originals. Some say they were granite, and others say they were bronze and melted down. Another memory is that one was stolen and the other destroyed. In any event, the current concrete pieces, similar in concept to the original ones, were created in 1903 and installed in 1928.
Putnam is know for his animal sculptures; he also sculpted (with Leo Lentelli) Market Street’s decorative streetlight bases.
Respectfully taken from SAN FRANCISCO’S GOLDEN GATE PARK by Christopher Pollock 2001 West Winds Press

 

Pan

A fog bank on the ocean, Seal Rocks, Cliff House, and the Sutro Baths ruins.

Turtle Hill ( in the far distance to the right of the two palm trees). . .as seen from the front lawn near the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

 

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