PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS
Page 63 – THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN
THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN.—The Columbian Fountain was generally recognized as a triumph of artistic work on a splendid scale and beyond simplicity in its significance. The prominent object in the Court of Honor, directly in front of the Administration Building was a great circular basin, one hundred and fifty feet in diameter, in which Columbia sat in a Barge of State, drawn by sea-horses and rowed and guided by symbolical figures. At its eastern side the water of the fountain plunged in a circular cascade to the Grand Basin twelve feet below. The huge barge was of the style of the classic ages, its prow ornamented with an eagle’s beak, its sides bordered with graceful reliefs and horns of plenty pouring their abundance over the gunwales. Columbia sat aloft upon a pedestal heralded by a figure of fame bearing a laurel wreath and sounding a trumpet. The barge was oared by the Arts and Industries and steered by Father Time, who had improvised his scythe into a helm. In one hand Columbia bore a torch at rest upon the pedestal beside her. The rowers of the barge on the right were Music, Architecture, Sculpture and Painting; those on the left and which appear in this illustration were Agriculture, Science, Industry and Commerce. Four pairs of sea-horses, the Sea-Horses of Commerce bearing riders representing Modern Intelligence, drew the barge, making lighter the work of the rowers. Dolphins, mermaids and tritons disported themselves in the water. The work was equal to the conception. It was a wonderful fountain.