Image: Unveiling of the Bell Telephone Memorial, October 24, 1917, in Brantford, Ontario Canada

Description: From the Brantford Public Library's website: "[Member of Parliament] W. F. Cockshutt first broached the idea of building a memorial in honour of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. The Bell Telephone Memorial Association was incorporated in 1906. Over $65,000 was raised through donations from the federal and provincial governments and from citizens in Brant County and elsewhere. In 1908 sculptors were asked to submit plans for the memorial to the designs committee. Walter S. Allward of Toronto won the competition. The memorial was originally supposed to be completed by 1912 but was actually not finished until five years later. The site chosen for the monument was in Bell Memorial Gardens, a small park bounded by Wellington, King, and West Streets. The memorial was designed by Allward to symbolize the telephone's annihilation of space. A series of steps go up to the main section where the figure "Inspiration" appears over a reclining male figure while the floating figures of "Knowledge", "Joy", and "Sorrow" are positioned at the other side. At each end of the memorial there are two female figures representing humanity. "To commemorate the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1874" is inscribed on the monument. The Duke of Devonshire, the Governor General of Canada, unveiled this memorial on October 24, 1917 (Brantford Expositor, October 24, 1917, p. 1). Alexander Graham Bell made a speech and presented the Governor General with a commemorative silver telephone" [seen on the table, centre].
Title: Unveiling of the Bell Telephone Memorial, October 24, 1917, in Brantford, Ontario Canada
Credit: http://brantford.library.on.ca/archive/index.php/archive/download/HistoricSitesandMonuments.pdf (Pg. 2)
Author: Park & Co
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No