Totems?

Here's another view of the Legislature with Queen Victoria's statue. This statue is on such a high plinth that you can't see it well from up close. This was shot with a telephoto lens from across the street. The statues Euro-Canadians erect are perhaps a little analogous to First Nations totem poles. In the background we have another totemic figure on top of the Legislature - Captain Vancouver.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen

Fern and I took a "busman's holiday" on Saturday and went on a guided walking tour of Victoria's Chinatown. The tour, led by local historical raconteur Chris Adams, was fascinating and taught me new things about an area of the city I thought I knew well. I fully intend to take some of their other walking tours and recommend them highly. If you are planning a visit to Victoria don't hesitate to spend a few hours on one of their walking tours. You can find out about the tours they offer on their website, discoverthepast.com. One of the things I discovered was the statue pictured above, Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The statue was erected by the Chinatown Community as a mark of respect for Dr. Sun Yat Sen. Many of the Chinese people who came to Victoria in its early days came because conditions under the imperial government in China were so bad. As they became more successful here they continued to have a strong interest in improving life for those who remained in China. For many the best way to do that was to support Dr. Sun Yat Sen in his efforts to overthrow the imperial government in China. To make a long story short, Dr. Sun succeeded in ousting the Emperor of China, became the first President of China, and the rest is history. I will refer you to Wikipedia for more details. Suffice to say that Dr. Sun is immensely important in Chinese history where he occupies a place not unlike Nelson Mandela in Africa.

Ross Bay Cemetery - Statuary

Most of the graves are marked with simple stone memorial markers with the name, dates of birth and death and perhaps a phrase or quotation or a bit of biographical information. Some grave markers are quite ornate with symbols of employment such as anchors for seamen or organizational symbols such as Masonic symbols. Other graves are marked by statuary such as above or other stone carvings in relief such as below. While I suspect much of the sculpture is generic it ages well and makes me wish we had more sculpture scattered around other parts of the city.

The Last Alarm - Dean Lauzé

I thought we might close the year off by looking at some of the sculpture that I've noticed lately. First is this statue of a firefighter in working uniform. It is located behind the Legislative Assembly Buildings and was installed in February, 2013. The statue is by artist Dean Lauzé. It commemorates firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Far Far From Home

But not as far as you'd think. On a recent trip up island we stopped along the road in Chemainus where these lovely statues reside. I can't be sure but I think the Buddha likes a little attention from a pretty girl! - Fern

Sir James Douglas, KCB

Since my last visit to Government House there's another new addition to the garden opposite the entrance. The Hosaqami Totem Pole I posted a photo of yesterday stands in the garden to the west of the entrance. Equidistant to the east is this new statue of the first governor of British Columbia, Sir James Douglas, KCB. Sir James was also the founder of the city of Victoria. The bronze statue is the work of sculptor Armando Barbon and was unveiled here on the 21st of May, 2012.

Emily Carr Statue

Local artist Emily Carr was honoured in 2010 with this statue on the corner of Government Street by the Empress Hotel. Emily Carr was born in Victoria in 1871, lived here most of her life and died here in 1945. She was an accomplished writer as well as a painter. Wikipedia has a good article about her work and life.

Victoria

This is the statue of Queen Victoria as a young monarch. It is located in front of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly Buildings overlooking the Inner Harbour. The statue, somewhat more than life size, stands imposingly atop a high pedestal so that her feet are a good ten feet (about 3 meters) above the ground. I find it interesting to compare this with the modern statue of Sir John A. MacDonald, our first Prime Minister, by the entrance to the Victoria City Hall. He stands only slightly elevated above passersby.

Statuary

A proper Italian Garden must have statuary and Hatley Castle's Italian Garden is no exception. There are several near life size statues amongst the flower beds and this one is particularly striking because of the white added around the eyes. On closer examination one can see that some teeth have been painted in as well, giving the appearance of a charming overbite. (I have a secret fondness for non-PC teeth, and no tolerance at all for the current obsession with ensuring that children's teeth have the mathematical precision of piano keys). I think this statue may be one of the three graces. There are at least two other similar statues in the garden.

Violinist - Bastion Square

Downtown today to photograph one of Victoria's mechanical street clocks but got sidetracked about three times on the way there. Bastion Square was decked out for spring and this street musician was seated in front of his home at the Lighthouse Gallery. He can be seen in the broader context of Bastion Square at the bottom right of the photo below.
The second digression today was a visit to the Maritime Museum, just visible through the branches of the tree on the left. I was stunned by the range of interesting artifacts and information there AND one can take photographs so....

Bastion Square is not so much a square as a series of pedestrian-only open spaces running from Government Street down to Wharf Street (two blocks). At this time of year craftsmen and artists stalls here mingle with art galleries, sidewalk cafes and bars. It is the site of the original Fort Victoria and is intimately associated with the history and development of the city. We'll be visiting it often over the next months since nearly every building has a story to tell.

Sale!

On Yates Street in downtown Victoria.

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One of my ulterior motives for doing this blog is to hone my photography skills. The photo above is interesting but after posting it I began to think it too busy, too much information...or something. Anyway, here is a second version of the same photo that I prefer. What do you think? I welcome any criticism or suggestions.

Captain Cook

Another statue graces the Inner Harbour, as prominently displayed as Queen Victoria's, facing the Empress Hotel, that of Captain James Cook. Victoria must be excused a bit of shameless name-dropping here. The famed explorer did not actually stop at Victoria. However, in 1778 he must have passed nearby on his way to Nootka Sound, further up the island. He was looking for a western exit to the fabled northwest passage. Not finding it, he turned around and went back to the South Seas, where he met his untimely end. Travelling with Cook on this voyage were two other later-to-be-famous sailors. Midshipman George Vancouver, who later returned to these waters as Captain Vancouver, has the honor of having Vancouver Island named after him as well as two neighbouring cities, one in British Columbia and another in Washington State, USA. The other famous seaman on Cook's last voyage was the Master of one of Cook's two ships, the Resolution, one William Bligh, later captain of the HMS Bounty when her crew mutinied.

I am particularly fond of this period of nautical history and am looking forward to the Tall Ships Festival later in the year (June 26-29), when Victoria will host sailing ships from many parts of the world. This year we have been promised a visit from the replica of HMS Bounty that was commissioned especially for the film, "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring the late Marlon Brando. I am looking forward to photographing it from stem to stern.

Queen Victoria

No blog about Victoria would be complete without some reference to the Queen for whom the city was named, so here is a photo of the statue of Queen Victoria that stands in front of the Legislative Assembly Buildings. This is a young Queen Victoria, quite different from the aged queen we are more used to seeing (below), but when the city was founded in 1843, Victoria had only been 6 years on the throne and, at 24 years old, may have been very like this statue.Below is a photo of the statue overlooking the Inner Harbour with the Empress Hotel on the right. The Empress Hotel, built shortly after her death, was named after the Queen in her role as Empress of India.