Sentimental Sunday: Mom & Siblings at Littlefield Fountain in Austin, ABT 1941

Charles III, Jo Ann, and Geraldine Guokas at the Littlefield Fountain in Austin, Texas, ABT 1941

 I was pretty sure the photo above was taken in Austin, Texas, about 1941, because the clothing Charles and Jo Ann are wearing matches that in another photo taken in Austin about the same time.  I wasn't sure about the location, though, until I enlarged the detail in the upper part of the leftmost third of the picture:

Above:  Close-up of fountain detail from the left part of the 1941 photo at the top of this post
Below:  The Littlefield Fountain in March 2013

The Littlefield Memorial Fountain, located in the South Mall at the University of Texas at Austin, was designed by Italian sculptor Pompeo Coppini, who also designed the Alamo Cenotaph. Donated by Major George W. Littlefield, the World War I memorial fountain was commissioned in 1919, installed in 1932, and dedicated on April 29, 1933. It is comprised of three concentric pools on different levels with jets of water spraying on a bronze group featuring the personification of Columbia, the Spirit of Independence, returning from World War I on the bow of her warship, the Boat of America (which has an eagle on the prow). In her right hand is the Torch of Light and in her left is the Palm of Victory. She is flanked by two military figures--the Army to her left and the Navy to her right. To the front are three plunging, finned sea horses, symbolizing the ocean, with the two outer ones mounted by mermen, representing man's discipline.  The fountain is inscribed in Latin with Brevis a Natura nobis vita data est at memoria bene redditae vitae sempiterna. The translation reads, "Short life hath been given by Nature unto man; but the remembrance of a life laid down in a good cause endureth forever." Beneath this inscription is a memorial bronze plaque that lists all University of Texas students and alumni killed in World War I.

© Amanda Pape - 2014 - click here to e-mail me.