Pittsburgh Cemeteries

Tag: Portraits

  • Brackenridge Circle, Prospect Cemetery

    Henry Marie Brackenridge, son of the famous Hugh Henry Brackenridge, founded the borough of Brackenridge, and his family has an honored place in the middle of the circle at the entrance to Prospect Cemetery.

    The obelisk once bore a number of inscriptions, but they are almost obliterated by time.

    Henry Marie’s own grave is marked by a very modest headstone. Father Pitt was not able to read the epitaph, although it might be clearer in morning light.

    Cornelia Brackenridge McKelvy, on the other hand, who died in 1882 at the age of 29, has a very expensive grave with a life-size statue. Is it meant to be a portrait of the deceased?

     

  • Winter Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    The composite picture above is more than 75 megapixels. Expect about 22 megabytes of data if you click on it.

    This is without a doubt the most spectacular Egyptian mausoleum in Pittsburgh. All the usual Egyptian elements are here, but the Winter mausoleum (1930)—whose colossal scale is hard to convey in a photograph—adds its own unique accessories. John Russell Pope, the famous beaux-arts architect, designed this mausoleum for banker Emil Winter—but “designed” is not really the right word here. The Woolworth mausoleum in Woodlawn, the Bronx, is nearly identical; Winter apparently saw it and told Pope “I want that,” and Pope gave it to him.

    Mr. Winter’s amazing sphinxes bear an expression that old Pa Pitt can only describe as “snooty.”

    2013-08-18-Allegheny-Cemetery-Winter-04The bronze door depicts Mr. Winter himself, large as life and in full Pharaonic regalia, about to set off for his journey into the afterlife. Even this is identical to the bronze door of the Woolworth mausoleum, except for the substitution of Mr. Winter’s face.

    2013-08-18-Allegheny-Cemetery-Winter-01Inside is a stained-glass window that reminds Father Pitt of cheap illustrated Sunday-school handouts, showing Mr. Winter properly enthroned. (It was devilishly hard to get a picture of this window, because the front doors are actually backed by a mesh screen. This was the best old Pa Pitt could do.)

    2013-08-18-Allegheny-Cemetery-Winter-03

  • Reverend Charles Walther Monument, Smithfield East End Cemetery

    This octagonal shaft includes a very unusual portrait head of the Rev. Mr. Walther, along with an open book on which there is an inscription that Father Pitt could not quite read. The date of birth appears to be 1784, but old Pa Pitt could not make out the date of death. The style of the monument is of the 1860s or so, and one suspects that this is one of the monuments moved here when the cemetery moved from Troy Hill. (The Smithfield Cemetery was originally downtown; it moved to Troy Hill in 1860 and to its final home in 1886—thus the name “Smithfield East End Cemetery,” to distinguish this location from its former locations.)

  • “Our Minnie,” Union Dale Cemetery

    A touching monument with a sleeping child, who seems to sleep more peacefully as the stone erodes and softens her features. “Our Minnie—not dead but sleeping” stands out clear enough, but Father Pitt is not able to read the rest of the inscription; he has therefore left a very large picture file for you, so that you may try your hand at interpreting it and, if you have any success, leave a comment with your interpretation. You will earn old Pa Pitt’s sincere gratitude.

  • Lohmeyer Monument, Calvary Cemetery

    This slightly chunky but still graceful statue looks individual enough to be a portrait. Of whom? If it was a portrait of Emma Lohmeyer, it is curious that her death date was never filled in. But perhaps if she looked like this when she was widowed at fifty, we need not seek too far for an explanation.