The Hudson Memorial: The Sculpture the Daily Mail Wanted Destroyed

The Hudson Memorial Bird Sanctuary in Hyde Park, London, features Jacob Epstein's controversial 1925 Portland stone relief honoring writer William Henry Hudson. Unveiled by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, the sculpture faced fierce public backlash, petitions for removal led by Arthur Conan Doyle, and repeated vandalism, including 1935 swastika defacements by the Independent Fascist League, before becoming a recognized pilgrimage site for young sculptors by 1929.

London Β· from the walk β€œThe People's Park: Secrets & Untold Stories of Hyde Park” Β· audio ~3 min Β· Generated

Hudson Memorial Bird Sanctuary, Hyde Park, London W2 2UH

Why was Jacob Epstein's Rima sculpture at the Hudson Memorial in Hyde Park so controversial?

Look at this quiet, fenced-off corner of Hyde Park. Most visitors walk right past it without a second glance. But behind these railings lies one of the most Explosive art scandals in British history... and a story that begins on the other side of the world.......... William Henry Hudson was born in eighteen forty one in Quilmes, Argentina. He spent his childhood freely roaming the Pampas, studying the plant and animal life. He spent most of his time studying the wildlife, especially the birds, which he came to know intimately. But when the Pampas began to disappear, Hudson boarded the steamer Ebro for England in eighteen seventy four. And here's a detail that makes this spot almost eerie... When he arrived, penniless and alone, he slept rough in Hyde Park. This memorial now stands not far from where he once lay on the ground with nowhere to go.......... Hudson rebuilt his life through sheer determination. He helped to establish the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and campaigned for wild areas in parks, at a time when they were always neat and tidy. His nineteen oh four novel, Green Mansions, introduced the world to Rima... a mysterious creature of the forest, half bird, half human.......... When Hudson died in nineteen twenty two, a memorial committee chose the sculptor Jacob Epstein to honor him. In nineteen twenty two, Epstein was commissioned to create this Hyde Park memorial. It was unveiled in nineteen twenty five, carved in Portland Stone, depicting Rima surrounded by birds. Epstein produced the relief, and Eric Gill carved the engraved texts.......... Now... picture the unveiling. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin pulls the cord... and is heard to exclaim, "My God!" The reaction was Instant. The Daily Mail wrote, "take this horror out of our park." Arthur Conan Doyle himself signed a petition to remove what critics called "artistic anarchy." The sculpture was attacked for what opponents viewed as an "ugly" and "unfeminine" portrayal of the female body.......... But the hatred ran deeper than art criticism. Epstein's work was often criticised by the public and the media, and often this opposition was antisemitic and nationalist. In nineteen thirty five, the Independent Fascist League defaced Rima with swastikas. From nineteen twenty seven until the Second World War, the memorial was subjected to repeated attacks... daubed in green paint, tarred and feathered.......... Yet there were defenders too. A public letter of support was signed by George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Courtauld, and even Ramsay Macdonald. By nineteen twenty nine, the New York Times noted it was "becoming a place of pilgrimage to young sculptors."

...... And through it all, the birds kept coming. Today, this area is a refuge for smaller birds, such as robins, tits, blackbirds, wrens, and goldcrests. Listen carefully right now... you might hear them. The very thing Hudson fought for, a wild, untamed pocket in the heart of London... is alive and thriving, just beyond these railings.

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