And of course, I'm always up for a train ride to I visited Amtrak's website and mapped out a "quick" trip from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and back.
The train left Philadelphia's 30th Street Station around 1 PM and got back around 5 PM, speeding over roughly 200 miles round trip. My dad and I really enjoyed the train ride - It sped through Lancaster County where the view consists largely of Amish farms, complete with laundry hanging in the snow flurries.
While waiting for my dad to appear at the train station, I wandered about and this caught my eye.
When I got a chance, I looked up some details.
Karl Theodore Francis Bitter (December 6, 1867 in Vienna – April 9, 1915) was an Austrian-born United States sculptor best known for his architectural sculpture, memorials and residential work.
Although Bitter arose out of the Classical/Naturalist styles he was increasingly turning towards a more modern approach to sculpture. Much of the work he did in Buffalo and St. Louis was allegorical in nature.
Where this change of art-form would have taken him will never be known, because he was killed in a tragic accident in 1915 when, while leaving the opera in NYC, a car jumped the curb and struck him down.
Created in 1895, this plaque was originally installed at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Philadelphia Broad Street Station and was moved to the waiting area of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in January 1933.
It depicts the evolution of transportation as a triumphal procession. “Transportation” herself is riding in a canopied chariot in the middle.
I was mildly amused by the little boy (who appears to have a very old man's head) at the far right holding up a dirigible, that is a "lighter-than-air aircraft", which is to represent the "future" of transportation coming after the steam-powered riverboat and steam locomotive train.
16 comments:
what a beautiful plaque and i wanna go on a train ride too Iggy, Im glad you and your dad had fun and spent time together :o) I still wanna go on a train ride...HUGS
I bet that was a pretty view from your window!!
Love the history lesson as always. That IS an ugly baby/angel, lol!! How amazing is the train car with wings???
Hope you're staying warm!!!
I'm glad you and your dad had a chance to take this train ride thru the countryside. I liked the picture of the Amish man standing beside his work horses...with a gravity flow wagon behind them.
Spirit of Transportation - very nice sculpture. :)
Hanging laundry outside? In the snow? Interesting....
Taking a train ride is a great idea if you have interesting stuff to look at!
Iggy, once again you have taught me something new. You have an eye for detail to notice the older head on that boy.
i love trains and riding on them..i'd love to travel all over american by train..glad you and your dad had this time together and you both getting so much enjoyment out of it.
Sounds like a great ride, you are such a good son!
I need an adventure... I guess now it will have to wait until after the snow!
that little boy not only has the head of an old man, but he also has the beer gut of an old man!
it's a pretty cool sculpture, nonetheless.
oh, and i'm pretty sure your dad and my dad would be best buds. my dad is obsessed with trains!
I bet that plaque is awesome to see in person; 200 miles in 4 hours! that was an adventure for sure :)
love trains and train rides; glad you got to share this time with your dad; bet you had some great talks and enjoyed each other's company :)
betty
The train ride sounds nice. :)
And the rest of the post was interesting... Thanks for the share! :)
I am jealous of your train ride! ;) Sounds wonderful.
The sculpture is quite odd. Probably looked so modern at the time. That toddler (?) is downright creepy looking. Head too big and legs too short. *shudder* But, on the whole, I bet that is awesome to see the whole wall in person.
I am imagining the click-clack of the railroad track...:):)
Interesting post and photos.
I like the sculpture but totally agree with you about the toddler. I wonder if the artist looked back at his work later and thought "dang, I wish I had made that little boy look different".
I know your dad enjoyed spending the day with you. It sounds like a perfect outing. And I am sooooo glad he is up to it. I'm sure your mom enjoyed her day too ;)
I've never been on a train.
I'd do that train ride, too. Nothing like that even close around here. I have to drive 60 miles just to get to amtrak, and it only rolls thru early in the morning I think.
I'm glad you and your dad enjoyed the outing. Hope your mom got some much needed peace and quiet while you were out.
That's quite an interesting plaque. I agree with you and everyone else, the head of the child holding the dirigible definitely doesn't fit.
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