08 Jun Orfeus
Orfeus Group in Stockholm … a WWII era postcard
In front of the Stockholm Concert Hall is the Orfeus group sculpture created by Carl Milles and finished in 1936. In Greek mythology, Orfeus (or Orpheus) represented the art of music. When he played the lyre, the beasts were tamed.
The Stockholm Concert Hall (Konserthuset) is where the ceremony for the Nobel Prizes is held.
Across the street from the Orfeus is a fruit, flowers and vegetable market, known as Haymarket or Hötorget. There has been a market at this same spot for many years.
Hedy wrote to her sister Ruby in May of 1945: Nude statues are numerous. This set with fountain is in front of Konserthuset. Market Place is across the street from it. Love, Hedy
At this webcam site, you can watch a video (shown in a minute) of a day at the Haymarket. If you look carefully you can see the Orfeus in front left of the blue building on the left.
And lastly is this amazing scene of Stockholm on VE Day. That would have been on May 7, 1945. You can see that they are gathering right in front of the Orfeus! I am grateful to the 801st/492nd BG Archives for this photograph.
Stockholm on May 7, 1945, in front of the Stockholm Concert Hall and the Orfeus statue
Joy
Posted at 16:00h, 08 JuneWonderful photo. I still get postcards from people in Sweden today with this as the focus (and why not). There are a number of wonderful Milles sculptures in St. Louis, including the meeting of the waters, across from Union Station (one million troops used to go through in a month, I think I read, during the war) and also at Missouri Botanical Gardens. It’s hard to mistake Milles style.