Martha's Dingle Springfield Cemetery, Massachusetts -

With beautiful weather and the price gouging of Thanksgiving over, I rented a car and hit the road. On the itinerary was a visit to Springfield Cemetery in Springfield, Massachusetts… to see a sculptured woman I’ve been long admiring. When I entered the historic cemetery I was struck by her immediately, her bright patina glistening in the sun’s rays. But I wanted to get the lay of the land, drive to all corners to see how to best divide my brief amount of time. I only had a little over an hour before the gates closed. Though there are some other worthwhile monuments, the draped lady of The Fuller Monument is most certainly the most ornate and beautiful.

First, the other worthwhile monuments. The sculptures about Springfield Cemetery had such sharp details… clothing creases and draping.

These three…

Squad goals?

More beautiful sculpted dress

There, there

This was a second must-see. The pattern in the trim of her dress, her cloaked face…

Kind of loved this one. Never seen anything like it…

These type of marble monuments always have such a strange weathering. Though it looks as if some folks scraped into her black face

Springfield Cemetery opened in 1841. This was shortly after the very first rural cemetery, Mount Auburn, opened in Cambridge ten years earlier. The site was formerly named Martha’s Dingle and a businessman named Bliss purchased it before selling it to a founder of the cemetery. I mention this because I can’t find much about the interred family at the Fuller Monument, but one family member was a Bliss. Perhaps this is why the monument is special? Also odd is that the Italian sculptor credited for the gorgeous work, Cutler Murghall, doesn’t seem to have any other work! And another website credits Heinrich Waderé, a German sculptor… ??? Kind of confusing. If only Springfield Cemetery would offer some detail on the monument.

Anyway, installed in 1910, the gorgeous sculpture might be one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen. I stood in front of it staring like an idiot… and taking a lot of pictures.