Swann Fountain In Downtown Philadelphia Editorial Photo

Designed by Alexander Stirling Calder with architect Wilson Eyre, Swann Memorial Fountain memorializes Dr. Wilson Cary Swann, founder of the Philadelphia Fountain Society. Adapting the tradition of “river god” sculpture, Calder created large Native American figures to symbolize the area’s major local waterways: the Delaware River a man, the Schuylkill River a woman and Wissahickon Creek a girl. Frogs, turtles, a fish, and two swans—puns on the name of Dr. Wilson Cary Swann—complete the group. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is in the center background.