Home——History——Remnants——Appendix——Acknowledgements——Coming——Contact——Links

Found Remnants / Sculptural Decorations

Mermaid Fountains
Standing at opposite ends of the elaborately landscaped South Gardens, were twin fountains surmounted by the Mermaid, a sculpture designed by native San Franciscan, Arthur Putnam. Noted for his rugged evocations of wild animals — his 14 bronze animal castings were awarded a gold medal by the Fine Arts Division — the Mermaid is his only sculptural contribution to the architectural decoration of the Exposition. There would surely have been others had it not been for a tragedy which destroyed his ability to sculpt when only 38 years of age.

Putnam was, for the most part, a self-taught artist. He’d been born into poverty and there was seldom a time in his life when he was very far removed from it. Totally uninterested in the classroom, Arthur preferred to roam the woods and fields around Omaha, Nebraska whittling and carving the likenesses of small animals.

Eventually, his passion for sculpting animals brought him his first small commissions in San Francisco. Having moved there from his mothers small farm near La Mesa, in southern California, Putnam was so impoverished that he was forced to sleep in a small room at the Art Students League, paid for by sweeping and cleaning the classrooms. Constantly on the verge of starvation, he still managed to pursue his sculpture studys, and eventually began to win a few competitions and receive an occasional commission. These and the infrequent odd job were all he had to support he and his new wife while he continued to improve as a sculptor.

In 1905, using a generous grant he’d obtained from Mrs. William Crocker, wife of the wealthy banker, as well as money earned from the design of two Sphinx to grace the entrance of the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, — they stand there today — the Putnams travelled to Europe so that Arthur could measure his work against those of the great masters. Working first in Rome and then in Paris, Putnam’s animal groups were selected for each of these city’s annual Salons where his bronzes were heaped with praise by such giants in the field as August Rodin.

Before leaving for Europe, Putnam stored all his sketches and sculptural studies of animals in a home of a friend living on Presidio Avenue. During the earthquake and fire of 1906, though three quarters of the buildings of the city were destroyed, Putnam’s work was saved. As a result of the extensive destruction, a building boom erupted in San Francisco offering an unprecedented opportunity for one with Putnam’s talents. After his hurried return from the continent, Putnam experienced a period of comparable fiscal security and spiritual contentment as he and his fellow artists busied themselves replacing the city’s lost art treasures with new ones of their own. While there was plenty of work, there was very little housing, and the Putnam’s were forced to live in a tent house located in the sand dunes of Ocean Beach near the windmill in Golden Gate Park. Their shanty was entirely at the mercy of the wind howling in off the Pacific Ocean and had no plumbing or electricity.

NEXT>