Margarita Delacorte Memorial
[Unveiled 1959]
Sculptor: José de Creeft 1884-1982 • Spain
Gift of publisher and philanthropist
George Delacorte (1893-1991)
in honor of his late wife, Margarita
Visitors from all over the world stop to marvel
at the larger than life size sculpture of Alice,
from Lewis Carroll's 1865 fantasy classic
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Here in
Central Park she sits high upon a giant
mushroom overlooking the Conservatory Water and presiding over an eternal tea party to
which she has invited all the children of the
world. Surrounding Alice, this bronze ensemble
of characters also includes the White Rabbit
looking at his watch, the insane Mad Hatter,
the Dormouse nibbling on a tidbit, the
Cheshire Cat perched in a tree, and Alice’s
kitten Dinah playing on her lap.
A favorite of children, the mushrooms and
figures have become smooth and polished
over the years as pint-sized feet have
climbed over them to the top of this 11 foot
structure while using their tiny fingers to
grab hold of Alice’s hand or the Hare’s ears
for support. The sculptor also included
plaques with inscriptions from Carroll’s"The Jabberwocky," in a granite circle
surrounding this unique sculpture.
