Hilda Kean1 An Exploration of the Sculptures of Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Brown Dog, Battersea, South London, England
ABSTRACT
This article analyzes the sculptural depiction of two nonhuman animals, Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh, Scotland and the Brown Dog in Battersea, South London, England. It explores the ways in which both these cultural depictions transgress the norm of nine- teenth century dog sculpture. It also raises questions about the nature of these constructions and the way in which the memo- rials became incorporated within particular human political spaces. The article concludes by analyzing the modern “replacement” of the destroyed early twentieth century statue of the Brown Dog and suggests that the original meaning of the statue has been signi!cantly altered.
In his analysis of the erection of public monuments in nineteenth century Europe, Serguisz Michalski has suggested that there was an increasing urge “to com- memorate important personages or patriotic events and memories acquired a new . . . dimension, moving beyond the limitations of individually conceived acts of homage.”2 Such commemorations were not con- !ned to images of people; increasingly, nonhuman animals were depicted in paintings, sculptures, and monuments. As the curators of a recent exhibition
Society &