The “Wynken, Blynken and Nod” sculpture, by Mabel Landrum Torrey, depicts a scene from the 1889 poem, “Dutch Lullaby” by author Eugene Field, a one-time resident of Denver, Colorado. Wynken, Blynken and Nod are three children fishing at nighttime in the open sea… in a wooden, floating shoe.
In 1938, Senator Fred W. Bailey commissioned a replica of the Colorado statue to be presented to his hometown of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania in memory of his wife Elizabeth Cameron Bailey.
Mabel Landrum Torrey was the daughter of Colorado Judge John Landrum, and she was married to noted Abraham Lincoln sculptor Fred Martin Torrey. Sometime prior to 1918, she created an early version of the Wynken, Blynken and Nod sculpture.
After exhibiting the sculpture in Chicago, Torrey presented it to Mayor Robert Speer. He was reportedly so delighted with it that he commissioned her to sculpt one in marble.
October 1919
The resulting work, the "Wynken, Blynken and Nod Fountain", was dedicated in 1919 in Denver's Washington Park. The sculpture, which was based on the Eugene Field poem "Dutch Lullaby", remains a major Denver landmark. In the 1930 edition of his History of American Sculpture, Lorado Taft described the Wynken, Blynke and Nod fountain as Torrey's most important work
The Colorado statue was later restored and moved to a different area of the park near Exposition and Franklin - near the former home of author Eugene Field.
Fields wrote more than 500 poems and stories for children, including Wynken, Blynken and Nod. When his modest home, located at 315 W. Colfax, had been threatened with demolition a local group of preservationists convinced Margaret Brown to purchase the house and donate it to the City of Denver. The house was moved to it's present location, in Washington Park.
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The Wellsboro Fountain
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Frederick Wright Bailey married Elizabeth Cameron on June 16th 1892. Well - at least that is what most genealogies say. There is an interesting article in the Gazette however, that purports that the 1892 was their SECOND wedding:
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WERE TWICE WEDDED Prominent Young People of Wellsboro, Pa. Have Two Weddings
Once married is usually regarded as well married, but not so with two prominent young people of Wellsboro, Pa., who have twice sought union in Hymens bonds. About three months ago Mr. and Mrs. David Cameron issued invitations to the marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth, to Frederick W. Bailey, a son of the late Hon. John W. Bailey, one of the most prominent residents of Tioga county.
The marriage was celebrated with all the éclat usual at society weddings, and it was looked upon as one of the leading social events of the season among Wellsboros Four Hundred. Numerous guests were present, a royal reception was given and the young couple started forth on their bridal tour overwhelmed with congratulations and good wishes-but after all it was not a wedding, at least not one that would be recognized in the courts of law, for on the 28th day of April, 1891, over a year before, the same couple was married in this city by the Rev. L. H. Pearce, pastor of Hedding M. C. church-at any rate, that is what the records show.
Miss Cameron, the twice-made bride, is the beautiful and accomplished daughter of one of Wellsboro's most prominent attorneys. She has light hair, delicately cut features and a handsome form, while the groom is tall and also handsome. His father died a few months ago leaving him a fortune which is all sufficient to keep the wolf from the door.
A Gazette reporter called on Mr. Pearce to ask if he knew anything regarding the whys and wherefores of the couple being married twice but he was out of the city today and hence could not be seen. Just why the first marriage was not made public is not accounted for in the statement of the facts from which the Gazette derives its information. It is said, however, that immediately after returning home, after the first marriage Mr. Bailey took leave of his bride and went South and later went West, where he and his wife have resided since their second wedding several months ago.
{the article continues, see the full version at the bottom of this page}
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Elizabeth Cameron on the far right, pictured with her Mitchell Cousins.
The Bailey's spent most of their married life in Denver where Mr Bailey became a State Senator, a major stockholder in the Crippled Creek gold Mine, and also in the Brown Palace of Hotel.
Elizabeth died on February 12th 1937, at the age of 72. Fred then commissioned a replica of the Wynken, Blynken & Nod statue, to be erected in their hometown, in memory of Elizabeth.
On Friday September 23rd 1938, the statue was unveiled in a ceremony at the park. Elizabeth's brother, and Sculptress Mabel Landrum Torrey were among the more 2,000 in attendance.
The Wellsboro Lions Club financed a wrought iron fence around the fountain in 1950, and The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital erected a plaque with the poem in 1976.
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In 1989, cracks were discovered in the bronze statue. A monument expert from Gettysburg National Park inspected the statue and declared that it was in fact, in excellent condition- the cracks having been the result of the casting process, and only visible due to a protective layer of wax having worn off.
After a good chemical bath, and a fresh coat of wax, the statue was rededicated for its 51st birthday. The Dickenson Strollers were in attendance, along with the Wellsboro Men & women's choruses and the town band. The Boy Scouts handed out free souvenir programs, and ice cream was served.
For the first time, newly installed lights were turned on, "giving the statue it's first night time illumination."
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Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Published on March 9, 1889, the original title was "Dutch Lullaby"
Published on March 9, 1889, the original title was "Dutch Lullaby"
One of more than 500 poems and stories written for children
By Eugene Field
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Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring-fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we,"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
Never afraid are we!"
So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea;
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
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READ MORE
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February 1937
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July 1938
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Dedication, 1938
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Journalist and poet Eugene Field's home was built around 1875 at 307 West Colfax, where he lived from 1881 to 1883, when he was The Denver Tribune's managing editor. After Field moved to Chicago in 1883, the house fell into disrepair. In 1927, Margaret "Molly" Brown campaigned to preserve the house from demolition. She raised funds to buy the house, gave it to the city, and stipulated it be moved to a park as a memorial to the beloved "Children's Poet." From 1930 to 1970, the house, now at 715 South Franklin Street, was Denver Public Library's smallest branch. The Park People, sponsors of Denver Digs Trees, maintain the house as their office. Founded by Mayor William McNichols, and Parks Manager Joe Ciancio, Jr., The Park People raise private funds for Denver's open spaces.
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The poem was recited by Mrs Wilson in the 1993 Dennis the Menace Movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5T19DmXbug
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Mabel Torrey died 1 April 1974, in Ames, Iowa, after a long illness.
Mabel Landrum Torrey’s artwork was exhibited at the Annual Exhibition of Works by Chicago and Vicinity Artists, AIC, 1916-26 (7 times); Annual Exhibition of Oil Paintings & Sculpture by American Artists, AIC, 1924, 27; Chicago Galleries Association; A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings & Sculpture, AIC, 1933, 1934; Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago; and the Woman’s World Fair, Chicago, 1925 and 1928.
Her awards and recognition included: Prizem Chicago Galleries Association, 1930; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; Wnyken, Blynken and Nod Fountain, Denver, CO; and University of Chicago Elementary School.
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WERE TWICE WEDDED Prominent Young People of Wellsboro, Pa. Have Two Weddings
Once married is usually regarded as well married, but not so with two prominent young people of Wellsboro, Pa., who have twice sought union in Hymens bonds. About three months ago Mr. and Mrs. David Cameron issued invitations to the marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth, to Frederick W. Bailey, a son of the late Hon. John W. Bailey, one of the most prominent residents of Tioga county.
The marriage was celebrated with all the éclat usual at society weddings, and it was looked upon as one of the leading social events of the season among Wellsboros Four Hundred. Numerous guests were present, a royal reception was given and the young couple started forth on their bridal tour overwhelmed with congratulations and good wishes-but after all it was not a wedding, at least not one that would be recognized in the courts of law, for on the 28th day of April, 1891, over a year before, the same couple was married in this city by the Rev. L. H. Pearce, pastor of Hedding M. C. church-at any rate, that is what the records show.
Miss Cameron, the twice-made bride, is the beautiful and accomplished daughter of one of Wellsboro's most prominent attorneys. She has light hair, delicately cut features and a handsome form, while the groom is tall and also handsome. His father died a few months ago leaving him a fortune which is all sufficient to keep the wolf from the door.
A Gazette reporter called on Mr. Pearce to ask if he knew anything regarding the whys and wherefores of the couple being married twice but he was out of the city today and hence could not be seen. Just why the first marriage was not made public is not accounted for in the statement of the facts from which the Gazette derives its information. It is said, however, that immediately after returning home, after the first marriage Mr. Bailey took leave of his bride and went South and later went West, where he and his wife have resided since their second wedding several months ago.
Mrs. Bailey has a sister who is a student at the Elmira College. The two weddings of Miss Cameron and Mr. Bailey, it seems are not the only bits of romance that have occurred in the Bailey family. On the fourth day of last October Miss . Edna McClelland, a step sister of Fred Bailey was married in this city by the Rev. Dr. W. T. Henry of the First Baptist church, to Harry Landrus of Syracuse, who was a student at St. John's military school at Manlius..
It is said that the marriage occurred unbeknown to parents of the young couple and that the parental sanction recognizing the marriage has never yet been forthcoming and the couple have never lived together. The records show that the groom gave his residence as Wellsboro, but his parents, it is said, reside in Syracuse. Miss McClelland, before her marriage, visited occasionally in Elmira. She is a talented musician and a handsome and accomplished young woman. Since the death of her stepfather the family has moved away from Wellsboro.
All of the young people spoken of above are highly respected by their friends and associates, and, while the fact of the first couple having been married twice will no doubt occasion a goodly amount of surprise among their friends, still everyone will look upon the affair as one of those bits of romance which occasionally occurs in real life, and, like the happy denouement in the play, turns out well and to the satisfaction all concerned before the curtain drops in the last act.
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The Gazette Monday announced, the fact of a young couple from Wellsboro, Pa., having been married in this city a year ago last April, and then being remarried at the home of the bride in Wellsboro several months ago. The second marriage occurred on the 16th of last June, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. A. C. Shaw. The couple, who were Miss Elizabeth Cameron and Frederick W. Bailey, went at once to Indianapolis, where they now reside. John W. Bailey, the groom's father, died on the 12th of last July and his step-mother has moved to Jersey Shore, Pa.
The Gazette also mentioned the fact of Fred bailey's step-sister, Miss Edna McClelland, having been married, secretly, in this city last October to Harry Landrus. The young man was a student at St. Johns school at Manlius, but his home is in Wellsboro, and not in Syracuse as stated last evening.
It seems, however, that the above marriages are not the only ones which have occurred in the same families unbeknown to the parents of the contracting parties. A search of the records today revealed the fact that on September 23, 1891, Miss Maggie Williams was married to William R. Cameron, a brother of Mrs. Fred Bailey, by the Rev. Dr. Henry, who also married Miss Edna McClelland and Harry Landrus. The last marriage was only kept secret three or four days and the young people, who are very popular and most highly respected by everybody, have lived as`happily together as though they had had a big wedding with hundreds of guests instead of having sought the Gretna Green of the Southern Tier in which to plight their troth and swear eternal allegiance to the other.
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June 1949
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