Judith Fyfe - Perth, Australia
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
S 31° 57.336 E 115° 51.438
50J E 392010 N 6463915
A statue of a young girl, on one of the quieter streets of the City of Perth.
Waymark Code: WMGJJJ
Location: Western Australia, Australia
Date Posted: 03/12/2013
Views: 12
In the not so balmy days of the 1930s Great Depression, a nine-year-old girl, Judith Fyfe and her family were living in a small apartment, in what was then the small city of Perth. At that time a local artist, Karin Wigan (nee Tulloch), asked her mother for permission to use Judith as a model for a statue. Her mother agreed. This is the result.
The life-sized, unclothed statue is composed of bronze and depicts Judith poised in contemplative thought. It is located in a window alcove, at ground level, in Howard St. The statue sits on a plinth, which has a description of the statue (below). There is also braille text on the plinth.
There is a certain history about the statue. It was originally to be exhibited in London, but the Second World War intervened, following the war the artist gave the statue to Judith. In the intervening years, the statue was occasionally exhibited in Perth on a temporary basis, but in 2008 the statue was returned to the building (now office space) where she and her family lived long ago.
In recent years the statue has generated a measure of controversy, as the subject is a nude, nine-year-old girl.
As for the subject of the statue, there is no public information about her. She has evidently lived a long life, still able to be present in 2008 at the unveiling of the statue, however, I have not been able to find additional information. Most likely she led a quiet and uneventful life, filled with the same personal tragedies and achievements that all humans suffer through.
Plinth inscription:
JUDITH
Artist: Karin Tulloch, 1936
In 1936, nine-year-old Judith Fyfe and her family lived in rooms at the top of this building. Karin Tulloch was a young artist in a studio also on Howard Street. Judith sat patiently over three wintry months as the model for Kain's sculpture, which was first exhibited in 1937.
This statue was unveiled by the
Rt Honourable the Lord Mayor Ms Lisa Scaffidi
on 11th December 2008
The sculpture was created by Karin Wigan (nee Tulloch)
1914-2002
and given to the City of Perth by Judith Anketell (nee Fyfe) in 2008.
Statue and plinth by Perth Castings 2008
URL of the statue: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.