The Art of Memorials
When I visited Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia last October, I was impressed by many things, one of which were the sculptures.
In October of 2021 when I visited Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia, I was impressed by how detailed and beautiful the statues were. Tour Guide, Shannon Stafford, encouraged me to look up the sculptor William Couper, a Norfolk native. Now I don’t know how many of the sculptures in Elmwood were created by William Couper but his influence can be seen and felt in the sculptures at this cemetery. William Couper (1853-1942) was considered one of the four most important sculptors in American art. To read more about his life and accomplishments do a search for “The Man Who Captured Angels, biography of sculptor William Couper” by Greta E Couper. It’s a fascinating and informative article and well worth your time.
If you would like to read the biography that Greta E. Couper wrote, you can download a PDF file from these locations:
William Couper, the man who captured angels.
A photograph of William Couper’s studio.
In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet (one of my favorite plays, I can still recite many of the speeches), Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, holds him as he lays dying and offers a brief eulogy, “Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” (Hamlet, Act 5, scene 2, lines 357-359) which may be a reference to the In Paradisum - In Paradise - “In paradisum deducant te Angeli…Chorus angelorum te suscipiat” ( "May the angels lead you into paradise…May choirs of angels receive you”).
In a cemetery, especially older ones, angelic figures abound. Perhaps giving comfort to those that grieve that their loved ones are in better hands than ours. I hope you’ll enjoy the ones I captured.
