Bethesda Fountain, New York City
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 40° 46.432 W 073° 58.261
18T E 586834 N 4514164
This 2019 express mail stamp features Bethesda Fountain located in New York City’s Central Park.
Waymark Code: WM11PQR
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 11/28/2019
Views: 9
Central Park lies in the center of Manhattan and Bethesda Fountain is often considered to be the center of Central Park. The fountain and terrace which today are known by the name Bethesda, were part of the original design of Central Park submitted by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. Although there are many monuments scattered over the park today, this fountain was the only one originally commissioned.
The Water Terrace Fountain (as it was originally called) was meant to commemorate the completion of the Croton Aqueduct which opened in 1842 supplying New York City with plentiful fresh water. Emma Stebbins, who was awarded the commission for the main sculptural element of the fountain, was given some leeway in its design. Rather than directly representing the massive engineering effort, she took an allegorical approach with an eight-foot tall neoclassical angel.
At the dedication ceremony in 1873, Stebbins quoted the passage from the Gospel of John about a pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem. An angel would periodically trouble the water of the pool leading to healing for the first person to enter afterwards. The theme of healing was appropriate for the Croton Aqueduct which significantly curtailed frequent outbreaks of cholera in the city. But Stebbins may have had broader issues (such as the recent Civil War) or even personal ones in mind. Today, the Bethesda Fountain has become one of the more notable locations in New York having appeared as a backdrop in countless films and television shows.
The stamp was issued in 2019 to pay the express mail rate for a regular-sized flat envelope. And although there was no express mail service in 1873, this stamp’s $25.50 face value could have paid for 850 first-class letters back then.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 27-Jan-2019
Denomination: $25.50
Color: multicolored
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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