Turtle Baby

a close up of the young child sculpture smiling and basking in the sunlight

About the Sculpture

Turtle Baby is a garden sculpture made by Edith Barretto Parsons that depicts a young child holding a turtle in each hand and smiling in pure joy. This sculpture was purchased with funds from the estate of June B. Patterson in 2008 as part of the Hamann Rose Garden renovation. 

"Turtle Baby is one of a trio of sculptures by Edith Parsons displayed in the municipal rose garden. The rose garden dates back to the early 1940’s. We selected these artworks because they are wonderful examples of American garden sculpture from the early 20th century, and are reflective of the history and heritage of the garden." – Lynn Johnson

The sculpture Turtle Baby surrounded by roses in the Hamann Rose Garden

A sculpture of a young child smiling in the sunlight, holding a turtle in each hand

Rotating around a sculpture of a small child holding two turtles in either hand, smiling up at the shining sun.


About the Artist

Edith Barretto Parsons was born in Halifax, VA in 1878. She studied at the Arts Students League of New York with fellow sculptor Daniel Chester French. From 1908 to 1933, she exhibited regularly at the National Academy of Design. She was a member of the National Sculpture Society and the Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Her work changed subject matter after marrying and having kids, as her own children became her models. Her series of children holding ducks, turtles, and other creatures became extremely popular, especially in the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. 

She died in New Canaan, CT in 1956.  Quoting an anonymous newspaper article from the 1920s, Though intensely reticent about herself one may, if privileged to enter that home, breathe there the spirit of the gifted woman who has been able to imprison in bronze the smile of a little child.


Additional Information

Hamann Rose Garden

Width: 15 in. 

Height: 33 in. 

Location

Hamann Rose Garden, S 27th St., Lincoln 68502  View Map

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