Rebecca at the Well (1908)

by John J. Boyle (1851 - 1917)

Photo Caption: Photo © Alec Rogers for the Association for Public Art
  • Title

    Rebecca at the Well

  • Artist

    John J. Boyle (1851 - 1917)

  • Year

    1908; relocated 1934

  • Location

    Horticulture Center grounds (Belmont Avenue and North Horticultural Drive, West Fairmount Park)

  • Medium

    Bronze relief with granite elements

  • Dimensions

    Height 6'6"

  • Themes

    Water and Fountains

Gift of Mary Rebecca Darby Smith, bequest to the Philadelphia Fountain Society

Owned by the City of Philadelphia

At A Glance

  • Depicts biblical story from the Book of Genesis, in which Rebecca offers water to a man and his camel

  • Funds for the fountain were bequeathed by Mary Rebecca Darby Smith “to ornament the city that William Penn founded; to refresh the weary and thirsty … and to commemorate a fact of sacred history”

  • John J. Boyle was one of Philadelphia’s leading sculptors and created Stone Age in America on Kelly Drive

  • Please check the hours for the Horticulture Center grounds before your visit

Rebecca at the Well originally served as a water fountain. The bronze relief in the center depicts the biblical story from the Book of Genesis, in which Rebecca offers water to a man and his camel. It was Mary Rebecca Darby Smith (1814-1886) – the Philadelphia author and socialite who was the great great granddaughter of William Penn’s secretary, James Logan – who bequeathed $5,000 to the Philadelphia Fountain Society for the erection of a fountain that represented Rebecca at the well. In her will, she specified that the legacy was given “for a triple purpose: To ornament the city that William Penn founded; to refresh the weary and thirsty, both man and beast, and to commemorate a fact of sacred history.”

Full view of the weathered bronze relief in Fairmount Park that depicts a biblical scene: Rebecca offering water to a man and his camel. The bronze relief is set in a granite structure with seating and an old water fountain.
Photo © Alec Rogers for the Association for Public Art

Completed in 1908, Rebecca at the Well was first installed on the median strip at 12th and Spring Garden Streets. It was removed in 1922, placed in storage, and relocated to the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center grounds in 1934.

One of Philadelphia’s leading sculptors, Boyle also created Stone Age in America on Kelly Drive, and Benjamin Franklin on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus. The granite elements of Rebecca and the Well were designed by architects Wilson Eyre, Jr., Walter Cope, and Edgar V. Seeler.

RESOURCES:

This artwork is part of the Around the Horticulture Center tour

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