Nathaniel Wheeler’s Bridgeport mermaid sculpture was created in 1912 by famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum (the creator of the Mount Rushmore memorial). It is interesting that he finished this mermaid sculpture the year before Edvard Eriksen created the famous Danish statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
Nathaniel Wheeler was a prominent industrialist in Bridgeport, and was very active in city affairs. His children donated the fountain and the statue to the city in his memory.
The mermaid is rising out of the polished granite pool, and holds aloft a lamp in one hand while holding a baby in the other. Two dolphins swim at her tail.
More photos and information about the Bridgeport Mermaid is available on the page dedicated to this Nathaniel Wheeler Mermaid.
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