Location: Fairmount Park - West River/MLK Drive and Black Rd.
Medium: Bronze on a Belgian block pedestal
Artist(s): Elkington & Company
Cast: 1877
Statue Plaque: St. George and The Dragon
Designed and cast 1877
Elkington & Company
Birmingham England
for
The Society of the
Sons of St. George
of Philadelphia
Founded 1777
--
St. Georges Day, 23 April 1978
Notes: Erected by The Society of the Sons of St. George (http://stgeorge1772.org), reputably one of the oldest societies in the United States. This society is still active and admits men of English Ancestry. It's mission now is to help students who wish to study in England.
It also appears that St. George's sword was broken off, not sure when it happened, but it shows how people suck sometimes.
Commentary: This is a beautiful statue that has and underwhelming pedestal and a horrible location. It is set about 80 feet from the road and is in an area that is becoming wooded. While I am against stripping the park of its statues I don't think this is the most effective location. In general the parks seems to have a thrown together collection of reject statues. Additionally unlike on the Franklin Parkway or up in the Wissahickon the sculpture in the park does not have informational placards. These would be greatly useful to explain why the statue is in the park, and how it connects to the City of Philadelphia.
About the statue itself, It is interesting that they decided to sculpt St. George in the nude. I did not climb the statue to confirm if St. George is anatomically correct, but I assume as much. While it is very well done most depictions of St. George are clothed, or at least with a cape. I would think this to be the reason it was kept in the park away from the public, but there are a number of nudes in Center City.
Maybe UPenn would be willing to host this statue, place it across the street form the Drexel Campus. I kid.
