The statue of the Bird Girl was sculpted by Sylvia Shaw Judson in 1936. An eight year old girl named Lorraine Greenman was the model. The original was cast in bronze and was 50'' tall. An original edition of four bronzes was sold at the time, one of them to a family in Savannah who put it in their family plot in the Savannah Bonaventure Cemetery.
The Bonaventure Cemetery statue sat virtually unnoticed until 1993, when Random House hired Savannah photographer Jack Leigh to shoot an image for the cover of John Berendt's new book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994). Leigh searched the Bonaventure Cemetery for a suitable subject. He found the sculpture next to a grave on the Trosdal family plot, at the end of his second day of searching, and had to make the shot quickly as dusk approached.
The cover image was an immediate hit, and Berendt called it "one of the strongest book covers I've ever seen". The book, published in 1994, became an all time bestseller, and soon people began flocking to Bonaventure Cemetery to see the sculpture. Due to concern about the amount of traffic at the grave site, the Trosdal family had it removed from the cemetery and later lent it to the Jepson Center for the Arts, where it is currently on public display.
The Bonaventure Cemetery statue sat virtually unnoticed until 1993, when Random House hired Savannah photographer Jack Leigh to shoot an image for the cover of John Berendt's new book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994). Leigh searched the Bonaventure Cemetery for a suitable subject. He found the sculpture next to a grave on the Trosdal family plot, at the end of his second day of searching, and had to make the shot quickly as dusk approached.
The cover image was an immediate hit, and Berendt called it "one of the strongest book covers I've ever seen". The book, published in 1994, became an all time bestseller, and soon people began flocking to Bonaventure Cemetery to see the sculpture. Due to concern about the amount of traffic at the grave site, the Trosdal family had it removed from the cemetery and later lent it to the Jepson Center for the Arts, where it is currently on public display.
What is she made of? She is cast from a durable, weather-resistant mix of fiberglass, marble dust, and resin. Made in the USA.
Can I leave her outside? Yes. But in climates that are extremely cold for extended weeks and/or months, we recommend that you bring the statue inside, just to be safe. We also recommend putting weight on her base to keep her from blowing over in extreme winds. If you are sitting her on a pedestal put a bead of silicone on the pedestal and sit her base on the silicone and let it dry this will help hold her in place (make sure the pedestal and statue are clean and dry first)
Can I leave her outside? Yes. But in climates that are extremely cold for extended weeks and/or months, we recommend that you bring the statue inside, just to be safe. We also recommend putting weight on her base to keep her from blowing over in extreme winds. If you are sitting her on a pedestal put a bead of silicone on the pedestal and sit her base on the silicone and let it dry this will help hold her in place (make sure the pedestal and statue are clean and dry first)