4. Frances Hodgson Burnett Memorial Fountain
The Frances Hodgson Burnett Memorial Fountain, a sculpture and fountain of a serene garden, was dedicated in the spring of 1937 to Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett. It was created by sculptor Bessie Potter Vonnoh and inspired by one of Burnett’s most renown books, The Secret Garden. The intimate scene depicted in bronze is of a girl holding a bowl and a boy playing the flute next to her as they are surrounded by swallows. The scene is based on the characters of Mary and Dickon from The Secret Garden. The fountain is located at the southern end of Conservatory Garden in Central Park, between 103rd and 106th streets along the eastern perimeter of Fifth Avenue.
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American children’s book author and playwright. Her most famous works include Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. After her birth in Manchester, England Burnett’s family immigrated to the United States where she spent most of her life. She lived her last few years in her home on Long Island.