Christian Wahl

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Christian Wahl
Christian Wahl.jpg
Artist Gaetano Trentanove
Year1903 (1903)
Typebronze
Dimensions240 cm(96 in)
LocationW. Hampton Ave. between N. 47th St. and N. 48th St., Milwaukee
Coordinates 43°6′11.284″N87°58′21.616″W / 43.10313444°N 87.97267111°W / 43.10313444; -87.97267111 Coordinates: 43°6′11.284″N87°58′21.616″W / 43.10313444°N 87.97267111°W / 43.10313444; -87.97267111

Christian Wahl is a public artwork by Italian artist Gaetano Trentanove located in Wahl Park, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The bronze bust of Milwaukee businessman Christian Wahl was created in 1903, and is set atop a red granite pedestal. Altogether it measures 8 feet in height.

Italy republic in Southern Europe

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

Gaetano Trentanove American artist

Gaetano Trentanove was an Italian and American sculptor.

Milwaukee Largest city in Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin and the fifth-largest city in the Midwestern United States. The seat of the eponymous county, it is on Lake Michigan's western shore. Ranked by its estimated 2014 population, Milwaukee was the 31st largest city in the United States. The city's estimated population in 2017 was 595,351. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee metropolitan area which had a population of 2,043,904 in the 2014 census estimate. It is the second-most densely populated metropolitan area in the Midwest, surpassed only by Chicago. Milwaukee is considered a Gamma global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network with a regional GDP of over $105 billion.

Contents

Description

The bronze bust of Christian Wahl depicts a kindly balding older gentleman sporting a beard and mustache, and wearing an overcoat, suit and tie. The sculpture sits on a red granite base with an inscription on the back stating: He gave/ his ripest years and study/ to the parks/ rewarded alive/ by/ grateful remembrance. This inscription is signed. [1] There is an inscription on the front of the base that states: In memory of Christian Wahl/ born February 12, 1829/ died October 19, 1901. It is located in Wahl Park, on the north side of Milwaukee, and is administered by the Milwaukee County, Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture.

Bust (sculpture) Sculpture of a persons head and shoulders

A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a portrait intended to record the appearance of an individual, but may sometimes represent a type. They may be of any medium used for sculpture, such as marble, bronze, terracotta, wax or wood.

Short video of sculpture.

Historical information

Christian Wahl was a wealthy businessman often referred to as the father of Milwaukee's public parks because he led most of the planning of the county's park system. Wahl was born in Bavaria in 1829 and moved with his family to a farm 5 miles south of Milwaukee in 1848. After traveling extensively, he settled in Chicago where he joined his brother in the glue business. Wahl served on Chicago's city council and board of education. Upon retiring, he moved back to Milwaukee, purchasing a home on Prospect Avenue. Wahl's home soon became the center of Milwaukee's German-American society, as he often hosted musical and literary events. "During the last years of his life, as a wealthy, retired businessman, Wahl was president of the first City Park Board in the board's first decade. His strong leadership was instrumental in the development of the city's park system and he took a deep personal interest in the completion of Lake Park." [2] When Wahl died in 1901, Der Herald, Milwaukee's German-language newspaper, stated that his altruistic labor deserved a monument, and the city's citizens agreed.

Bavaria State in Germany

Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a landlocked federal state of Germany, occupying its southeastern corner. With an area of 70,550.19 square kilometres, Bavaria is the largest German state by land area comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany. With 13 million inhabitants, it is Germany's second-most-populous state after North Rhine-Westphalia. Bavaria's main cities are Munich and Nuremberg.

Chicago City in Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,716,450 (2017), it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States, and the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is often referred to as "Chicagoland." The Chicago metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States; the fourth largest in North America ; and the third largest metropolitan area in the world by land area.

The sculpture was originally placed in the outside court between two porticoes in Lake Park, Milwaukee. The dedication ceremonies, planned to coincide with the opening of a park pavilion, took place on July 11, 1903. "Judge George H. Noyes made the presentation speech, the bust remaining with the American flag. As Judge Noyes ceased speaking Clauder's Military Band struck up The Star Spangled Banner, while Cyril Gordon Weld, the grandson of Mr. Wahl, cut the cord that held the national colors about the bust, and the flag full, disclosing the features of Christian Wahl." [3] The dedication ended with Wahl's widow presented a collection of large palm trees, assembled by the late Wahl, to the park board.

Lake Park, Milwaukee urban park in Milwaukee, United States

Lake Park, located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is an urban park covering 138.1-acre (559,000 m2).

Wahl Park was named in Christian Wahl's honor in 1956, [4] and Wahl's bust was moved there in 1960.

Christian Wahl was recognized during his lifetime. The street leading from the southeast into Lake Park is named Wahl Avenue.

Location history

Christian Wahl was originally sited in Lake Park, in Milwaukee's East Side in 1903. It was moved to Wahl Park, located in Milwaukee's North Side, in 1960.

Artist

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References

  1. , SIRIS.
  2. Buck, Diane M. and Virginia A. Palmer (1995). Outdoor Sculpture in Milwaukee: A Cultural and Historical Guidebook, p. 151. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison
  3. Usher, Ellis Baker (1914). Wisconsin: its story and biography, 1848-1913, Volume 5, p. 1363. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago
  4. Albano, Laurie Muench (2007). Milwaukee County Parks. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston