Growing up surrounded by the somber atmosphere of a funeral home, I have come to view life and loss in a unique way. My family has owned and operated a funeral home for many years, making death a part of our lives and giving me a perspective on mortality that few experience. This upbringing has shaped not only my understanding of death but also my ability to see beauty in areas others may miss.
Cemeteries have always been a peaceful place for me. As you stroll along the pathways, you’ll encounter headstones that span centuries of craftsmanship and design. Each one tells a tale of lives lived, loves lost and legacies left behind. Some markers are adorned with intricate carvings and poignant epitaphs, offering glimpses into the personal lives and societal changes of bygone eras. The most touching are the field stones hand carved with care by a member of the family, sometimes only bearing initials and a final date.
One of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever visited is Bonaventure Cemetery. Sheltered beneath a canopy of live oaks in Savannah, Georgia, Bonaventure stands as a poignant testament to the city's rich history and haunting beauty. Spanning over 100 acres along the banks of the Wilmington River, this historic cemetery is not merely a resting place for the departed, but a repository of stories etched in stone and moss-draped oak trees. From its beginnings as a plantation to its transformation into one of the South's most renowned burial grounds, Bonaventure beckons with its exquisite funerary art and a palpable sense of Southern Gothic mystery. Sunlight filters through ancient branches and whispers carry past moss-laden tombs revealing layers of Savannah's past, making it a place where history, art and mortality converge in a timeless dance.
Many people are familiar with Bonaventure through the haunting image of Wendy, The Bird Girl, which became the cover for the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. The photograph for the cover was taken by photographer Jack Leigh (1948-2004) a local Savannah photographer.
Chicago sculptor Sylvia Shaw Judson originally designed Bird Girl as a garden statue in 1936. In 1938 it was purchased from a gallery in New York City by Lucy Boyd Trosdal for the family plot in Bonaventure and was nicknamed Wendy. Mrs. Trosdal’s husband, Einar Storm Trosdal, passed away in 1932 at the age of 52. Mr. Trosdal was born in Norway and was president of the South Atlantic Steamship Line which operated transatlantic charters from New Orleans, Galveston and the Gulf with offices in New York City. The Trosdal’s were very wealthy and traveled extensively prior to Mr. Trosdal’s death.
Sylvia Shaw Judson was born in 1897 in Chicago to Howard Van Doren Shaw, a noted architect, and Frances Lillian Wells Shaw. Her obituary from 1978 outlines her personal story. Unfortunately, she did not live to 100 years old and missed the popularity her sculpture enjoyed in 1997 to this day.
Her practice was devoted to the creation of lifelike sculptures, but her focus on realist garden decor was not as popular as the modernist sculpture being made during this period. In her book For Gardens and Other Places: The Sculptures of Sylvia Shaw Judson (1967) she quoted her father, the architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, as advising her “don’t be above making what is needed.” Her practice of creating garden sculpture fulfilled that guidance and served a decorative and useful purpose.
The Bird Girl was originally designed to be a water feature. It was meant to hold either birdseed or if a pump was added, small holes in the bottom of the bowls and a slot in the front of the bowl served as overflows. Her outstretched hands holding the bowls might be interpreted as weighing decisions or outcomes. Her columnar design and fixed pose recall ancient Greek statuary.
In the archives of the Art Institute, Chicago there is an exhibit statement from 1938 featuring Sylvia’s artwork. The first item listed is a Fountain Figure cast in both bronze and lead. Five sculptures were cast of bronze, one of lead. The bronze is listed at $1,000 ($22,000 today’s equivalent). I do question whether this is Bonaventure’s Bird Girl. The statue purchased by Mrs. Trosdal is 50” tall. If I read the measurements correctly handwritten in the right margin, the item listed would appear to be 12” long and 10” wide, but I’m not certain the written note is indicating measurement. She worked in midsized to very large pieces, so perhaps these were prototypes at 12” tall and the listed price was for a full-size, completed piece.
Another sculpture of Sylvia Shaw Judson was purchased by Jacqueline Kennedy while she was first lady of the White House, 1961-1963. It was called The Little Gardener (1935) and was placed in Mrs. Kennedy’s Rose Garden at the White House. It may be the Gardener entry on the artist exhibition statement listed above, selling for $900 ($20,000 today’s dollars). It would be interesting to know if this statue is still in the White House Rose Garden after #45’s wife revamping of the area. It would probably take a FOIA request to determine. The only image I could find of this sculpture was on a website selling reproduction statuary. It is not my intent to sell merchandise, but I need to credit where the image comes from. Provided is a link to the commercial site but make no endorsements or statements of fact other than it is a reproduction of Sylvia Shaw Judson’s statue. It is a little pricey at $600 and is not made of bronze but a combination of other materials.
In 1959, Sylvia Shaw Judson was commissioned to create a public work of art: a seated statue of Mary Dyer, a Quaker who was executed for her religious beliefs. Interestingly, Sylvia herself belonged to the Quaker faith. Three copies of the statue were cast; one stands in front of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, one copy stands at the Friends Center in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a third in front of Stout Meetinghouse at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana.
The popularity of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil led to a surge in tourists eager to visit the locations featured in the story. Concerned about the statue's safety, Mrs. Trosdal, before her passing, permanently lent Wendy, The Bird Girl, from the cemetery to the Telfair Museum in Savannah. Wendy remains there today. If you're in Savannah, visiting the museum to see her in person is worthwhile, though it's a bit heartbreaking. Wendy appears out of place in her new surroundings, her expression suggesting a wistful longing, almost like a displaced refugee yearning to return home.