Fountain of Time, Chicago, IL
1922 (Photograph 2003)
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
The sculpture Fountain of Time by Lorado Taft was unveiled in Washington Park in Chicago, Illinois in 1922.
Measuring 126 feet wide and made of concrete, Taft's idea for Fountain of Time was inspired by a couplet written by the English poet, Austin Dobson: "Time goes, you say? Ah, no. Time stays, we go." The poem inspired a crag-like figure representing "father time" encircled by a large group of human figures.
The ominous cloaked figure overlooks a procession of 100 human figures including babies, children, soldiers, religious figures, workers, lovers, the elderly, and even a portrait of the artist himself. In general, the wave of human figures has the babies, children and younger people on the north end of the sculpture; athletes, soldiers, and other figures representing the prime of life in the center; and older people on the south end of the monument.
The photos and description of the Fountain of Time in Chicago, IL are part of materials from the Washington Park registration form for the National Register of Historic Places.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
Full Citation: Fountain of Time, Chicago, IL; 1922 (Photograph 2003); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Illinois; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/fountain-of-time-chicago-il, May 16, 2024]