Rittenhouse Square fountain.
Title
Rittenhouse Square fountain
Description
Views depict an ornate drinking fountain adorned by a column with sea horses and the bearded face of Neptune surmounted by a classical male figure balancing his body with one foot. Also shows a detail of an open iron gate., Title in manuscript notes on mount of P.9299.117 and verso of P.9299.116., Photographer's imprint printed on mounts., Stamped on versos: Copyrighted Kiralfy Bros., Philadelphia, 1876., Pink curved mounts with rounded corners., One item, P.9299.117, reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 118., Arcadia caption text: Donated in 1872 to the Philadelphia Fountain Society by prominent Philadelphia civil engineer and art collector J. Gillingham Fell, the ornate fountain at the northwest corner of Rittenhouse Square (at Walnut and Rittenhouse streets) mirrored the wealth of nearby residents. Although beautiful, the fountains contained faulty plumbing, which caused muddy conditions intolerable to visitors, and the structures were removed by the early 1880s., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Ms. Jane Carson James.
Creator
R. Newell & Son, photographer
Date
c1876
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Newell - Monuments and statues [P.9299.116-117]
Fountain. Rittenhouse Square.
Title
Fountain. Rittenhouse Square
Description
View in Rittenhouse Square shows an ornate drinking fountain adorned by a column with sea horses and the bearded face of Neptune surmounted by a classical male figure balancing his body with one foot. Donated to the Philadelphia Fountain Society by prominent Philadelphia civil engineer and art collector J. Gillingham Fell and installed at the northwest corner of Rittenhouse Square (at Walnut and Rittenhouse streets) in 1872., Title on negative., Publisher's imprint printed on mount and surrounded by decorative border., Yellow curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Woodward - Monuments and statues [P.9732]
Drinking fountain, Washington Square.
Title
Drinking fountain, Washington Square
Description
View of the first public drinking fountain erected by the Philadelphia Fountain Society in the spring of 1869 on the sidewalk at 7th and Walnut Streets near Philadelphia's Washington Square. An eagle with outstretched wings perches on a tablet at the top of the fountain inscribed: Philadelphia Fountain Society, Instituted A.D. 1869. Below the tablet are an upper and lower water troughs for the use of horses and dogs. A high wrought iron fence separates the trees and benches of the park from the sidewalk. The Society paid William H. Radford $70.00 for his work on the fountain's plumbing; $100 to Robert Wood & Co. iron workers for making the eagle; and $242.75 to Broders Walsh & Co. for their stonework., Philadelphia Fountain Society records at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Manuscript collection #2045 Fairmount Park Art Association, boxes 49-50.), Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 119., Arcadia caption text: This c. 1870 view subtly captures a defining element of Washington Square. The square, bounded by Sixth, Eighth, Walnut, and Spruce streets, was known for its superior variety of trees. The grounds, once a potter’s field, had been transformed by the mid-19th century into a city arboretum of over 60 species. The square also held the distinction of being the site of the first public drinking fountain. Erected by the Philadelphia Fountain Society in the spring of 1869 at Seventh and Walnut streets, the fountain contained an eagle by the prominent Philadelphia ironwork firm, Robert Wood & Co., as well as provided water troughs for horses and dogs., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Date
ca. 1870
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - unidentified - Parks & squares [P.9644.29]