What was Your Name Again, Ma’am?
By Betsy Alexander
Historical Education Coordinator, The War Memorial
A nude woman of mystery has lived at The War Memorial for decades now, a 6-foot, 500 pound bronze water sculpture. Some call her “The Nymph,” “The Bronze Nymph,” or “The Nude”; whatever her actual name is has been lost to history.
She was most likely created in 1922 in New York City by famed American sculptor, Edward McCartan. There were three versions total of essentially the same statue, the others also created circa 1922. One version, also a water sculpture, shows her bending over to capture a frog resting on her base. The other is a two-part sculpture which shows her with added wings and a gown sprinkling fairy dust over two sleeping children on a bench beneath her, the second part of the bronze piece. The latter is commonly known as the “Rock-a-By Lady” or “Dream Lady” of the popular Eugene Field Memorial at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The War Memorial’s version was most likely the first one McCartan crafted, per a Manhattan McCartan sculpture expert. He must have been much enamored by his creation to keep utilizing the same image.
We’re not certain how she came to travel from Roman Bronze Works in Manhattan to anchor John S. Newberry’s beautiful Four Seasons Garden at “Lake Terrace” at 99 Lake Shore Drive, nor do we know who commissioned her. A fire at the foundry decades ago destroyed their early- and mid-1920’s records, including those of McCartan’s. Her exact name, bronzing date, sale, and shipping information were all lost.
In September of 1957, after Edith Newberry passed and the decision was made to demolish “Lake Terrace,” John Newberry gifted the water sculpture to The War Memorial.
She was installed in the formal garden between two large, rangy cottonwood trees and almost forgotten. When the trees eventually died and the area cleared, the beautiful sculpture was “re-discovered.” She eventually made her way to a newly installed reflection pool in the knot gardens and was a favorite of our visitors for years.
May 21, 2001, War Memorial staff came to work after the weekend and discovered an empty pool. She had been removed cleanly from her base in the pool - it seemed to be a very professional job. Police and other agencies became involved – including the FBI and Interpol – as this was suspected to be another major art theft. A few high-end statues and art
installations had gone missing from southeast Michigan, presumably stolen by accomplished art thieves. The War Memorial and Grosse Pointers were greatly saddened by the loss.
Fast forward to May 6, 2009, the Detroit Police Department Underwater Recovery Team located the sculpture in 18 feet of murky water off Fox Creek while looking for a vehicle. She was covered in zebra mussels and smelled like the Detroit River, but was fine other than that. The divers were relieved that the head and shoulders protruding from the muck were not of a live woman, but of a very valuable work of art. One member of the dive team called the Detroit Historical Society, who remembered The War Memorial’s stolen sculpture, and then made the connection. After being thoroughly cleaned and buffed by Detroit’s Venus Bronze Works, she was returned to us. She greeted guests in the Fries Auditorium for years and now graces the Fred M. Alger Center outside of the ballroom; stop by and visit her.
To learn more about the history of The War Memorial and the Alger Family, please contact Betsy at balexander@warmemorial.org to schedule a tour.