Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Neo-classic Angel

Posted on July 16, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

THERESA SIMMANG SCHMIDT 1876 1907 The gray granite rock-face monument for Theresa Schmidt in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, has a masterfully sculpted bas-relief bronze inset.  The bronze was created in Fonderia Nelli, one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels | 2 Comments

A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Artist Father

Posted on July 9, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

JAMES M. HART N. A. MAY 10, 1828 OCT. 24, 1901 James McDougal Hart was a 19th Century landscape artist born in Scotland who immigrated to America with his family as a small boy.  After a stint as an apprentice … Continue reading →

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The Spirit of Death

Posted on July 6, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

CHARLES ADOLPH SCHIEREN BORN FEBRUARY 28, 1842  DIED MARCH 10, 1915 MARIE LOUISE SCHIEREN BORN AUGUST 5, 1840  DIED MARCH 11, 1915 IN THEIR LIVES THEY WERE LOVELY AND IN THEIR DEATH THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED   Most people are … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves | 1 Comment

A Scottish Immigrant and the Declaration of Independence

Posted on July 4, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Today it is right and proper to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the day Americans toast as our country’s birthday. James Wilson was one of the Pennsylvania delegation members and was a signer, though, he did not … Continue reading →

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The Sleeping Babe

Posted on July 1, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

RITA SCALANTE Oct. 12, 1898 Nov. 28, 1910 This white-marble monument in the St. Francis Cemetery at Phoenix, Arizona, memorializes the life of an infant girl who died shortly after her second birthday.  A drapery on the top of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Graves, Symbolism, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

You Don’t See Those Much Any More!

Posted on June 24, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

William Hayes Fogg (1817 – 1884) and his brother, Hiram (1812 – 1860), share a gray granite obelisk in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.  After trade with Japan opened up, the Fogg brothers founded a trading company to … Continue reading →

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The Stag

Posted on June 19, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

The white marble gravestone in the Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, of Julius Wagner (born August 19, 1823 – died August 20, 1876) features a horn hanging from stag horns.  The stag horns symbolize piety and solitude and victory over … Continue reading →

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Neo-Classical Sarcophagus

Posted on June 13, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Stanford White and Augustus Saint Gaudens collaborated on the pink granite Francis W. Tracy monument in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.  It is clear that White took his inspiration from an ancient classical design replicated in many … Continue reading →

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Seated Angels

Posted on June 10, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Not far inside the Gothic gates of the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, is the David and Adelia Stewart mausoleum.  The mausoleum was designed by Stanford White, of McKim, Mead and White, at one time, the largest and most … Continue reading →

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Angel of Charity

Posted on June 6, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

JOHN HUDSON HALL BORN OCTOBER XV, M-D-C-C-C-XXXVIII DIED MARCH III, M-D-CCC-LXXXXI John Hudson Hall (October 15, 1828-March 3, 1891) was a successful paper manufacturer in the mid-to-late 19th Century.  He was also a patron of the arts.  Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves, Symbolism | 2 Comments