At A Glance
Please note: hours of operation for the Horticulture Center grounds are Monday-Sunday, 9am-5pm
Part of the Museum Without Walls: AUDIO program
First gift to the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art) in 1872
Originally located on George’s Hill in West Fairmount Park
This allegorical bronze cast by local foundry Robert Wood & Co. depicts descending nightfall as a shrouded woman.
It was the first gift to the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art), with funds contributed by Trustee Edwin N. Benson.
Presented to the Fairmount Park Commission in 1872, the sculpture was originally located on George’s Hill in West Fairmount Park on a 5′ granite base. It was relocated to its current location in 1980.
Edward Stauch was born in Germany circa 1830 and worked in Philadelphia between 1855 and 1870. Other sculptures attributed to him in Philadelphia are at the American Philosophical Society and the German Society of Pennsylvania.
RESOURCES:
Voices heard in the program:
Michael Stauch is the great-great-grandson of the artist, Edward Stauch. He is the Director of Music at Atonement Lutheran Church in Asbury Park, and wrote the song “Grandfather’s Statue, Nocturne.”
Charles E. Mather III (1934-2020) was the longest-serving president of the Association for Public Art, formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association.
Stephen C. Layne is a contemporary artist and sculptor working in Philadelphia. He is an instructor in figure modeling, drawing and anatomy at Fleisher Art Memorial.
Hardy Von Auenmueller is the Chairman of the German Society of Philadelphia. He was born in Saxony, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1959.
Segment Producer: John DeLore
A program of the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association), Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is an innovative and accessible outdoor sculpture audio program for Philadelphia’s preeminent collection of public art.
A “multi-platform” interactive audio experience – available for free by cell phone, mobile app, or on our website – Museum Without Walls: AUDIO offers the unique histories that are not typically expressed on outdoor permanent signage.
Unlike audio tours that have a single authoritative guide or narrator, each speaker featured in Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is an “authentic voice” – someone who is connected to the sculpture by knowledge, experience, or affiliation.
Over 150 unique voices are featured, including artists, educators, scientists, writers, curators, civic leaders, and historians.
This artwork is part of the Around the Horticulture Center tour
