Stevens Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Stevens Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Wade, George E., sculptor.

Tompson, Frederick A., architect.

Stevens Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Temperance, (sculpture).

Little Girl Fountain, (sculpture).

Installed 1917. Relocated 1928. Reinstalled 1961. Relocated June 22, 1979.

Figure: bronze; Base: granite.

Figure: approx. 50 x 14 x 24 in.; Base: approx. 3 ft. 6 in. x 44 in. x 9 ft. 2 1/2 in.

(On plaque on base:) IN LOVING MEMORY OF/LILLIAN M. N. STEVENS/PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL AND MAINE/WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION./ERECTED 1917 unsigned

A full-length figure of a barefoot girl holding a bowl in her outstretched hands as she steps forward. She stands on a cylindrical pedestal, which rests in a rectangular fountain basin at the top of a rectangular granite base. There are two steps cut 3/4 of the way across the front of the base. The sides of the base are rough cut. There is a small cupped area on the lower rear corner that originally functioned as a water basin for dogs. Originally, there was also a drinking fountain for humans, but it has been filled in.

Figure female -- Child -- Full length

Allegory -- Quality -- Temperance

Homage -- Stevens, Lillian Marion Norton

Object -- Other -- Dish

Outdoor Sculpture -- Maine -- Portland

Administered by City of Portland, Parks and Recreation, 389 Congress Street, City Hall, Portland, Maine 04101

Located Portland Public Library, 619 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Formerly located Deering Oaks, Near intersection of Park Avenue & High Street, Portland, Maine 1928-1979.

Originally installed Congress Square, Portland, Maine 1917-1928.

The fountain honors Lillian Marion Norton Stevens (1844-1914) who founded the Temporary Home for Women and Children in Portland and was National President of the Women's Christian Temperance Union from 1878 until her death. The fountain is a replica of one installed in Chicago in memory of temperance advocate Frances E. Willard. The figure was created by London sculptor George E. Wade and the base of the fountain was designed by Portland area architect Frederick A. Tompson. The fountain was originally installed in Congress Square in Portland in 1917, but was relocated to Deering Oaks near the intersection of High Street and Park Avenue in Portland in 1928, and was put in storage during World War II after being vandalized. It was reinstalled at Deering Oaks in 1961, and was relocated again to the new library on Congress Street on June 22, 1979 after further vandalism. There is evidence of an old repair on the figure's proper right leg. IAS files contain newspaper article from the Maine Sunday Telegram, Sept. 11, 1977, and related excerpts from the Portland City Guide compiled by the Writer's Program of the Works Progress Administration, 1940.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maine survey, 1993.

SOS Assessment Award, 2000.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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