arch facing Parliament Street

Arch over King Charles Street (side facing Parliament Street). J. M. Brydon, architect (completed” by Henry Tanner), and William Silver Frith (1850-1924) and Paul Raphael Montford (1850-1924), sculptors. 1908. Stone. Montford did the sculptures on the upper part of the outside of the arch, Frith these on the lower and those on the inside. [Click on images for larger pictures.]

Government and History (or Literature). Both Government with her sceptre and and classical building and History (or Literature) with pen and books repeat the figures and attributes of the same allegorical figures on the opposite side of the arch, though here the woman symbolizing justice seems far more languid.

Left to right: (a) Geography. (b) Science. Once again the female allegorical figures repeat much of the iconography on the opposite side of the arch, though with variations: only one cherub accompanies Geography, for example, and she engages directly with it while Science, which again appears with chemical apparatus, appears without attributes for technology or applied science.

Left to right: (a) A very languid and contemplative figure of Industry appears on the left with a wool or cotton spindle and a miner's pick. (b) Justice, which was the first first allegory on the other side of the arch appears again to complete the series. cradling her sword in one hand and the crumpled scale apparatus in the other.

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Photographs and caption by Robert Freidus. Formatting, perspective correction, and commentary by George P. Landow. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]


Last modified 19 August 2011