History is weird. It is. I have twice encountered people who believed that the idea of Y2K was a conspiracy theory because nothing went terribly wrong when the clocks turned over on New Year’s Day 2000. These people were not in the work force at that time and didn’t see all the work that happened to prevent catastrophe… and because no catastrophe manifested, they assumed it was more similar to the 2012 Phenomenon. But those of us who lived through that moment in history know that disaster was averted because of a lot of hard work. It makes me wonder what the future will think when they look back at the moment in time through which we are currently living! It also makes me think about the Ashland Library and how we perceived the statue on our grounds. I know that’s a dramatic transition… but hear me out:
There’s a statue out front of the building. It was recently described by a staff person as “that statue of a woman casually setting herself on fire.” And if that sounds weird… we, the Ashland staff, completely agree. Why would anyone commission and/or create such a sculpture? Yet, there it sits, a woman, holding a torch, pointed downwards, flames licking gently at the hem of her dress… or they might be; the flames are not realistic and could be a mop, maybe? Because flames don’t really point downwards in quite that way. But, no, it’s definitely not a mop. You can tell it’s a torch, albeit one with flames that disregard all known laws of physics. All of that begs the question, why is there a statue of a woman on the lawn of the Ashland Library holding a torch to the hem of her dress with the words “They lighted the way” engraved beneath? Was there a time when self-immolating women sacrificed themselves to the need of the community for light? You might well ask. But, no… apparently not. The statue has an origin story that is romantic and not the least bit self-immolation-based.
But before I explain what you are supposed to see when you look at this sculpture, do take a moment to look and see what YOU see.
So, like, a lady setting herself on fire… amiright?
But here’s the origin story:
Michael Mickelson married Victoria Chapman in 1890. She would have been in her late 40s, and he was in his late 50s. He died of cancer only four years later. Victoria lived for additional 33 years, dying in 1928 at the age of 84. In her will, she directed that the proceeds from the sale of her property be used to purchase a fountain as a symbol of her love for her husband. The fountain was intended to be designed with “appropriate appointments for men and animals to quench their thirst.” At some point between 1929 and now, the fountain was decommissioned, but the sculpture remains. Because it was designed to be mounted on a fountain, rather than on a plinth as it is today, the sculpture was intended to appear as if the woman is dousing her torch in the water of the fountain. Ms. Chapman did not have creative control over the sculpture, being deceased, so the fact that the doused torch was considered a symbol of death rather than love may not have met with her approval. Be that as it may, her love for her husband is commemorated in an enduring way on the grounds of the Ashland Library to this very day. It reciprocates the love expressed in a verse from a favorite poem of Michael’s, Dearest Love, Believe Me: “Love grows only fonder / With the lapse of years.”
Since so many of us watch Love, Actually this time of year, this story feels a little like it is what Hugh Grant is referring to in his closing voice over monologue when he says: “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” Even in a statue that appears to be a woman setting herself alight!
I was able to learn a lot about Victoria Chapman using our Ancestry database, including where she is buried (in Ashland Cemetery on Main Street). There is also an article about the sculpture — you can find an article at the Mail Tribune. In addition, the librarians who work upstairs in Ashland have info about many of the art pieces throughout the building. Take a moment to look deeper if you are curious.
Also: if you want to read more about the Ashland Branch, go back and read Lyn’s post about Awesome Ashland.