Almost no one ventures behind the Westinghouse Memorial, but a special reward awaits those who do. Instead of a blank wall, we find reliefs as detailed as the ones in front. We can see the backs of the standing figures, and the leafy ornament that surrounds the figures and the panels turns out to arise very logically from tree trunks in the rear. Since the effect from the front would be the same if the rear were blank, there seems to be no real reason for having gone to this much trouble—except that knowing what’s behind changes our perception of the front. The front view has a kind of aesthetic truth that it would not have if the ornament did not have its logical foundation in the rear.
The Westinghouse Memorial has been splendidly restored, although the pond in front of it is drained and overgrown.
When George Westinghouse died, his reputation was at a low point—largely because of the constant attacks by Thomas Edison, who could never forgive Westinghouse for having been right about alternating current. But Westinghouse was beloved by his thousands of employees, whose contributions raised this treasure of American art. The architects were Henry Hornbostel (Pittsburgh’s favorite architect for decades) and Eric Fisherwood. The main sculptures were by Daniel Chester French, arguably the most famous American sculptor of all time. The panel reliefs were by Paul Fjelde.
This cast of Beaux-Arts titans could have made a heroic statue of George Westinghouse riding an air brake, but they decided on something more subtle. The monument is a beautiful allegory. An all-American boy (surely one of French’s best works) stands in the prow of a boat, his hat in one hand and books in the other, and learns about the incredible accomplishments of the genius Westinghouse, opened up in front of him like a scroll. You can read the wonder on his face, and in the careless way he crumples his hat, as if he had completely forgotten it was in his hand. (Notice how his sweater is pushed up from all that absentminded fiddling with the hat.) The message is clear: future generations will judge Westinghouse by his fruits, and they will be astounded.
This memorial in Schenley Park to our national flag is one of the few memorials on which you can find the exact cost of the memorial inscribed: $1881.63.
Almost due north from Pittsburgh is a little town called Mars, where you’ll find a flying saucer in the center of town, and beside it a peace post with the words “May peace prevail on earth” and similar sentiments in French, Spanish, and Russian engraved on the four sides.
Many butterflies have colorful wings, but the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) has a body to match, as we can see in this close view. This is one of our most spectacularly beautiful butterflies, and one of our most common as well.
Yesterday’s storm clouds as they gathered over Mount Lebanon. This video has no sound, and nothing happens in it except clouds moving. If, like old Pa Pitt, you find clouds fascinating, you might like it. The rest of you will be completely bored for just three seconds shy of a minute.
A Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) visits the flowers of a Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) in Beechview. If you like butterflies, a butterfly garden is easy to put together and beautiful in its own right. The Butterfly Bush is a good start; milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) will also bring crowds of butterflies.
The old Pittsburgh and Lake Erie station, now the centerpiece of the Station Square entertainment district, with the Monongahela Incline in the background.
Although the angle is distorted here by a telephoto lens, the building is not rectangular. A satellite view reveals the odd shape.
