I‘ve always enjoyed living near Humboldt Park on Chicago’s West Side, but I reached a new level of appreciation during the past year of COVID-19 quarantine life. I’ve utilized its nearly 200 acres for jogs, socially distant hangs, and mental health walks.
Throughout it all, this pair of bronze bison sculptures have been my constant companions. They even wore face masks made out of towels and string at the start of the pandemic! I heard that they were produced for the 1893 World’s Fair, but it turns out that their story isn’t so straightforward.
World’s Fair Roots
The original pair of bison sculptures were indeed created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. Like the buildings at the fair, the sculptures were meant to be temporary so artist Edward Kemeys produced them in a plaster and plant fiber material called staff. The massive pair of bison stood in front of the Stock Exhibit at the World’s Fair.
North American animals were a popular artistic subject at the fair. Attendees walked among enormous depictions of bison, bears, moose, elk, and mountain lions. Kemeys and Alexander Phimister Proctor specialized in wildlife sculptures depicting wild animals as they behaved in nature because they spent time out West observing animals. Kemeys also sculpted the famous pair of lions that perch in front of the Art Institute today.
West Park Exhibits
In 1908 and 1909, landscape architect and General Superintendent of the West Park System Jens Jensen held outdoor art exhibits in Garfield and Humboldt Parks. He thought that war hero monuments were inappropriate in a naturalistic park and explored types and placement of art more suited to the landscape.
Since he had a small budget, Jensen borrowed small plaster models, or maquettes, of sculptures that were exhibited at the Columbian Exposition and pieces from the Art Institute. Jensen originally placed the bison pair in Garfield Park at the entrance to the formal garden facing S. Hamlin Boulevard. He installed a pair of Bulls with Maidens sculptures by Daniel Chester French and Edward C. Potter in Humboldt Park.
Unexplained Swap
In 1911, the West Park Commissioners decided to recast both pairs of the bison and bull sculptures in bronze. Jules Bercham, who recast the Art Institute lions in bronze, recast these small versions of the World’s Fair bison and bulls.
The upgraded bronze bison returned to Garfield Park. A few years later in 1915, the locations of the bulls and bison sculptures were switched. The bison moved from Garfield Park to their current home in Humboldt Park. Meanwhile, Jensen installed the Bulls with Maidens sculptures at the entrance of the Garfield Park garden. Why the switch? There is no surviving documentation to explain it.
Prairie Royalty
When the bison were moved to their current home at the entrance of Humboldt Park’s formal garden, Jensen consciously faced them inward with their backs to the street for visitors to admire from inside the garden. The formal garden opened in 1908 offering a natural getaway from the bustle of city life.
The bison appear quite similar, but they have distinct features. The male bison, called “Prairie King,” gazes ahead. The female bison, named “Sound of the Whoop,” is grazing or listening with her head lowered. Although the large sculptures are life-size, it’s hard to imagine that the versions exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition were much bigger! They are joined by Prairie Style lanterns that match those at the nearby boathouse.
The Bulls with Maidens haven’t fared as well. In the early 1980s, vandals damaged one sculpture and stole the other. The damaged sculpture was repaired and the missing one was recreated in 2002. They now reside just west of the Garfield Park Conservatory. While the missing sculpture was recovered in Virginia in 2010, it’s currently in storage awaiting funding to be restored.
Visit Humboldt Park
The World’s Fair Bison stand at the east entrance to the formal garden, west of N. Humboldt Drive and north of W. Division Street. Humboldt Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Want to discover other hidden gems in Chicago? Check out my books Secret Chicago: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure and Chicago Scavenger!
Humboldt Park Formal Garden
Humboldt Dr. and W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
Sources
- Bachrach, Julia. “Sculpture in the Garden.” Vamonde.
- “Garfield Park: World’s Fair Bulls with Maidens.” The Official Website of the Chicago Park District, Chicago Park District, 22 July 2015.
- “Humboldt Park Audio Tour.” The Official Website of the Chicago Park District, Chicago Park District.
- Mercurio, Frank. “The Origins of Public Art in Chicago: From the Bronze Lions to Skylanding.” Chicago Gallery News, 15 Mar. 3017.
- Scheerer, Jennie. “Art in the Parks: Historic Jens Jensen Formal Garden.” Chicago Parks Foundation, Chicago Parks Foundation, 19 July 2017.
- “World’s Fair Bison.” The Official Website of the Chicago Park District, Chicago Park District.
