Woodward Estate Continued

Krisheim Bench

Before he began to sculpt, Selmer-Larsen often planned out his ideas in sketches. In this case, he drew several different versions of his ideas for the back of a garden bench. All designs incorporated a poem about Krisheim, but the details and compositions differed.

Larsen sketch of a farmer and cow — Plan #3223-169-pa1, Olmsted Archives

In the plan, Selmer-Larsen demonstrates his skill with a pencil. In the middle of this design he drew a farmer and cow between the poem's lines. However, in later sketches, he decided that he did not want figures breaking up the poem.

Another plan shows the design of the bench, as well as the final version engraved by Selmer-Larsen. How did he illustrate the poem through his design?