Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Sculpture in Wyoming

We saw a large number of statues during our trip to Wyoming. Since Ryan's been learning about Sculpture in Calvert's Art History class this year, he was quite a bit more excited about this than he would otherwise have been.

In front of the Wyoming state capital building is an enormous statue of a buffalo. I believe it to be larger than life sized, but don't know for certain.
This statue is Steamboat. He's the horse you see on the license plates, and quarters, and state letterhead and....well, you get the idea. Supposedly, he was never ridden successfully. Ryan's comment was, "This is a fine equestrian statue." Without Calvert's Art History course, he wouldn't know an equestrian statue from any other type, which goes to show that kids absorb all sorts of unusual things, if given the opportunity!This is a picture of the boys standing in front of a statue of Ben Franklin. This is reputed to be only one of three in which Ben is depicted standing up. Another is located in Paris, and I am not certain where the third one is. I really don't know what connection ol' Ben has to Wyoming, but he's holding a key in his left hand!These last 2 photos are of a bust of Abraham Lincoln, located at the highest point on I-80, midway between Cheyenne and Laramie. The elevation here is over 8000 feet. Of course, it was snowing, so I wasn't about to stop to take pretty pictures. Although I have asked many people over the course of the last 15 years, no one can tell me why Abe is here instead of, George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson, without whose Louisiana Purchase there would be no Wyoming, or even Teddy Roosevelt. One of life's small mysteries.Up next:: the boots in Cheyenne

1 comment:

Paula said...

Golly, everything in Wyoming is huge! It ranks in my mind's eye as one of our most beautiful states. I don't envy the weather though ... especially looking at the Abe Lincoln photos. Brrrr! I especially enjoyed Ryan's comments about the equestrian work of art. You guys covered a lot of ground on your weekend trip!