The Naked Man And Naked Woman In Front Of The Station

St. Louis’ Union Station, built in 1892, is the largest nineteenth century railroad station in the world.  Nowadays, when someone walks out of the station they are greeted by a twentieth century addition: A naked man and a naked woman.  The naked people stand in their bronze glory in a fountain in front of the station.

The naked man represents the Mississippi River; the naked woman represents the Missouri River.  They are joined by a bunch of mythical figures representing the rivers’ tributaries.  The fountain is called the “Wedding of the Rivers.”  When it was unveiled in 1940, the citizens of St. Louis were shocked.

The citizenry was not surprised that the people in the fountain were naked because the sculptor was Swedish, and they knew that Swedes are not shy about portraying the human body.  However, the citizenry was uncomfortable because they did not like the idea of a naked groom marrying a naked bride.

The solution?  Instead of installing bronze fig leaves, the city of St. Louis renamed the fountain.  It is now the “Meeting of the Waters.”

The sculptor’s name is Carl Milles.  I am a big fan of his because I have been to his studio. 

When visiting Stockholm in 1974, I had never heard of Carl Milles.  His studio, called the Millesgarden, is open to the public.  An American friend took me to the studio, which nestles on a terraced hillside sloping down to the harbor in a suburb of Stockholm. 

We looked at sculptures and flowers and walked paths and investigated greenhouses.  It was a sunny Swedish afternoon and peacefulness was in the air.  It was a highlight of my visit to Stockholm.

I have been promoting Carl Milles ever since. 

When I lived in Minnesota, I took people to the City Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a large onyx Indian dramatically greets people in the lobby.  In St. Louis, I have promoted Carl Milles by talking about the “Meeting of the Waters” on my walking tours.

Last year a friend told me she was going to Stockholm and spending the summer with a family there; I promoted Carl Milles by insisting that she visit his studio.

Word came back from her telling me that the studio was a highlight.  The Swedish family she was visiting especially enjoyed it.  Although they lived in Stockholm, the family had never heard of the studio. 

Looks like my promoting had some far-reaching effects, reaching right to the city that Carl Milles called home.

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Website for the Millesgarden -  
http://www.millesgarden.se/?languageID=5  

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NOTE: Doug's best stories have been collected into a book: Puppy Out Of Breath.  Price = $11.  You can purchase a copy at  http://www.puppyoutofbreath.com