Angel imagery is common in cemeteries of the gilded age (late XIXth century). The most genre perfect, and impressive one in Cleveland may be the one for Freda Schubert in Cleveland's Woodland Cemetery.
When i first saw this statue, i was surprised that i had not heard, or read about it before.* I am very inclined to believe that Herman Schubert loved his wife very much.
The red stone of the pedestal is soft, pitted, and smudged with soot.
supra, profile view; infra, three quarters
Lake View Cleveland has several programmes throughout the year. One is the angels tour. A very few, two at least, are outstandingly interesting. Most are equal to those found in several other local cemeteries. Why Freda's angel is not better known is comparatively odd. When walking through Woodland Cemetery this statue is striking, it commands attention. All the information, that i have, is what is on the monument itself. It has been there an hundred years. Is anyone from Herman and Freda's family about? and know anything of the sculpture?
The angel's left hand is missing the forefinger, and the end of the [palm] frond.
The drapery became convenient for wasps to build comb nests.____________________________
*postscriptum: Michelle Day of Woodland Cemetery Foundation brought to my attention, a photograph of this monument made the cover of a book: Silent Cities: the Evolution of the American Cemetery. Princeton Architectural Press. Kenneth Jackson (Author), Camilo Jose Vergara (Photographer). 1989 .
I was not aware of this book beforehand. Professor Jackson has much of the same thoughts that i have on American burial yards. He is right on two big points. The 'memorial parks' beginning with Glendale California's Forest Lawn changed the landscape (for the worse). This spread throughout the country, with noticeable resistance from immigrants and their children. Thus began a symbiotic and continuing process of isolating and reducing the cultural niche of the graveyard. He does not go as far as to say that this style of burial ground of aesthetics, commerce, and spiritlessness could only go farther by having cemeteries double as golf courses.
I was not aware of this book beforehand. Professor Jackson has much of the same thoughts that i have on American burial yards. He is right on two big points. The 'memorial parks' beginning with Glendale California's Forest Lawn changed the landscape (for the worse). This spread throughout the country, with noticeable resistance from immigrants and their children. Thus began a symbiotic and continuing process of isolating and reducing the cultural niche of the graveyard. He does not go as far as to say that this style of burial ground of aesthetics, commerce, and spiritlessness could only go farther by having cemeteries double as golf courses.
I remember when this book was first published, I looked at it so many times at Borders. Wish i had purchased it, it's out of print now, isn't it?
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