February 21, 2016

2319 UNITED STATES (Illinois) - Buckingham Fountain in Chicago


Built in a Rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, Buckingham Fountain in the center of Grant Park in Chicago is one of the largest fountains in the world. It represents Lake Michigan, with four sea horses symbolizing the four states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana) that border the lake, and was designed by beaux arts architect  Edward H. Bennett. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau.
 
Donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, the fountain was dedicated on August 26, 1927. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During shows, the center jet shoots up vertically to 46m, and after dusk shows are choreographed with lights and music. During the winter, it is decorated with festival lights.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the Weddings series, about which I wrote here.

References
Buckingham Fountain - Wikipedia

Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 17.01.2014
Photo: Werner J. Bertsch

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