MYSTERY: In bright sunshine, what type of building is this?

Hmmm. What is this, a castle, sanctuary, meeting hall, or fortification? Tell us what you think this edition’s Mystery Photo represents, and where it is. Send to elliott@brack.net and include you hometown.

We learned a lot about the last mystery photo from our readers. Philomena Robertson of Flowery Branch first recognized the photo, which came from Bob Forman of Grayson. She said: “I believe this is the sculpture of the goddess Diana by Augustus Saint-Gaudens – commissioned by Stanford White, now at the Great Stair Hall of the  Philadelphia Museum of Art.” Karen Burnette Garner of Dacula reported: “I just returned from a whirlwind visit to this city. it’s the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is the main staircase going to their European art collection.”

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. wrote: “Answer: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Penn. The museum, which is one of the largest in the world, administers collections containing over 227,000 objects.  Construction of the Main Building began in 1919, when Mayor Thomas B. Smith laid the cornerstone in a Masonic ceremony. Because of shortages caused by World War I and other delays, the new building was not completed until 1928.”

Michael Green of Milton told us: “Diana was sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens who was America’s finest sculptor at the turn of the 19th century.  The gilded statue of Diana the Huntress was originally installed in 1893, as a weather vane on the tower of New York City’s Madison Square Garden. It was the highest point in Manhattan.  Madison Square Garden was demolished in 1925.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art adopted the statue in 1932 and placed it in the Great Stair Hall.  It was restored 2013-2014.”

Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill: “This is the statue of Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt, was sculpted in the late 1800s by Augustus Saint-Gaudens who was considered the country’s finest sculptor of The Gilded Age, my favorite time in American history.”

Pink magnolias near Lawrenceville tell us spring is on its way

Though only the first of March, yes, spring is on its way. As proof, check out the pink magnolias that Roving Photographer Frank Sharp spotted blooming alongside Georgia Highway 20 near the Russell Road Post office. But watch out: the weather can fool you. No doubt we’ll have at least one more really chilly blast, but hopefully that will be the last one as spring heads Georgia’s way.