Gravely Speaking

Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

The magnificent white-marble memorial sculpture to Inez, the daughter of John N. and Mary C. Clark, in the Graceland Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, who was born September 20, 1873, and died August 1, 1880, is a stunning example of sculptures that were created to memorialize children in the Victorian Era. In this example, which has been protected from the weather by glass, the seated girl holds a parasol, her dress is layered eyelet lace, a hat casusally hangs around her neck, and she wears a locket.

She is seated on a chair that is carved to look like it was built from tree limbs with the bark still attached in an unfinished but natural look that was part of the rustic movement of the mid-nineteenth century.  It was characterized by designs that were made to look like they were from the country. Elegant and slim curved lines in furniture gave way to bulkier and heavier. Homes, cabins, and garden houses were designed in the rustic style eschewing classic designs. In decorative furniture this often took the form of chairs made from rough tree limbs curved to form arms and chair backs, chair legs made from tree roots growing upwards. In cabins, railings and the siding were made from unhewn logs with the bark still in place.

Many Websites claim that the monument to Inez Clarke is a mystery and that, in fact, Inez did not really live; the monument was merely a sculpture created as an advertisement from a monument company.  Others claim that Inez did live and that her spirit is still embodied in the sculpture.  Some claim that the monument is often missing during the night as she walks the cemetery and that it reappears in the morning.  Cemetery staff have confirmed that there was a little girl name Inez Clarke buried in that spot, however, they did not comment on the paranormal activities attributed to the monument.

Calvary Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

In the Calvary Catholic Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, there is a gravestone carved to look like a grotto.  Inside the tiny grotto are sculptures of two little children.  At first glance it might look like two little girls because the children are wearing a dresses, however, that was common for boys up to age five in the Victorian era.

The boys were Artie, who was 4 years old, and his brother, Willie, who was 2 years old.  They were the sons of John and Marie Walsh.  They both died in the late 1800s.  Because the soft marble has weathered badly, not much else can be discerned from the inscriptions that have been lost to history.  The sculptures have eroded giving the little boys a ghost-like appearance.  The older brother’s arm wraps around the younger brother in a tender and protective gesture as they huddle together.

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

Mary Ella McGinnis

Born

December 15, 1869

Died

August 6, 1875

The likeness of Mary Ella McGinnis was created in the Victorian style of memorializing children in funerary statuary.  The realism of the statue is remarkable–her curly hair cascades to her shoulders as she looks forward.  Mary Ella is depicted in her finest clothing, the eyelet lace still visible in the bottom of her skirt.  She is portrayed holding flowers in her apron with one hand and a single flower in her other hand.  Because of the weathering of the soft marble, the kind of flower is not discernable.  The act of placing the single flower on a grave is a common motif and expresses the transitory nature of life. The flower she holds in one hand is a floral metaphor for a young flower that did not have time to fully bloom on Earth, a poignant visual message coupled with the image of this young girl.

Mary Ella, who died of lung congestion at 5 and ½ years old, was the daughter of George and Josephine McGinnis.  Her father, George, was a colonel, promoted to brigadier general, during the Civil War in the 11^th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.  According to Memories of the Past: A Tour of Historic Crown Hill Cemetery by Wayne L. Sanford, this Italian white-marble sculpture is the second statue completed for her grave.  The first was reportedly created by the great sculptor Lorado Taft and rejected by the family.

Rest Haven Cemetery, Edinburgh, Indiana

Minnie Belle Lain

1905 – 1913

The Rest Haven Cemetery at Edinburgh, Indiana, has an excellent example of the Victorian practice of memorializing children in funerary sculpture.

Minnie Belle Lain, the 8-year old daughter of Frank and May Maggie Lain, tumbled out of her father’s wagon as it crossed a bridge, she could not be saved.  Minnie Belle Lain is depicted in her finest clothing complete with a bow in her hair.  She sits with her legs crossed with a bouquet of daisies on her lap.  In the Victorian language of flowers the daisy represented purity, love, and beauty.

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York

TACIE HANNAH,

DAUGHTER OF

J. F. AND HANNAH FARGO

DIED DEC’R 3′d, 1866

AGED 1 YEAR 9 MO’S

20 DAYS.

A pristine example of a child being memorialized in stone can be found in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York.  The elaborate white-marble sculpture, preserved and encased in glass, portrays the twenty-one month old daughter of J. F. and Hannah Fargo, Tacie Hannah Fargo.  The little girl is positioned sitting on top of a tasseled blanket gripping a small bouquet of flowers.

J. F. Fargo was the brother of William G. Fargo, one of the founders of the Wells Fargo Company.