Sydney
(2013)
(painted bronze)
by
Lora Collins
Lora Collins is an American sculptor and painter who worked for over 30 years with the Smithsonian Museums Exhibits department. She is now an independent fine artist in Maryland, USA.
This statue, which resides in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, honors the real-life Syndey, the Newfoundland who accompanied his master, Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, on the Unites States Exploring Expedition of 1838 - 1842 (often referred to as the "Wilkes Expedition"). This was a four-year, six-vessel mission to conduct scientific experiments, conduct cartographic surveys, and collect plant, animal, and ethnographic specimens. While considered a signficant success, the mission was not without its difficulties, some of them the consequence of Wilkes' arrogant high-handedness. He was court-martialed upon his return, though most charges were dropped and his rise through the ranks (he was a commander during the expedition) continued unimpeded. He is said by some to have been the model for Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
Sydney was given to Wilkes by the governor of Australia — which would explain the name, of course — when the mission made a provisioning stop there in 1839. Wilkes clearly loved his dog and credits the dog with helping to preserve his life by keeping native peoples away from the crew, but Wilkes never mentions how he acquired Sydney — or what ultimately happened to him.
Click here for Wilkes' own comments about Sydney here at The Cultured Newf.
The Smithsonian website reports that the inspiration for the statue's appearance was Sir Edwin Landseer's famous painting A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society. Although Sydney's coloring is never mentioned either in Wilkes' autobiography or the report on the Wilkes Expedition, we know from a sketch made by Wilkes (below), found in the 2nd volume of Wilkes' official account of the expedition, that the dog was indeed a Landseer:
Thanks to Bob Rogers on the Newf-L email group for bringing this statue to my attention.
