Naked Winter stands before you. It is the period of the year when the
leaves are of the trees and the bark is splitting. After the activities
of autumn man is resting. The fruits have been gathered - the golden
apples and the purple grapes - so man's labors have ceased. It is the
period of conception. The sower has just cast forth the seed. Mother
Earth will nurture the little seed until the cold winter has passed and
the warm sunshine comes again to give each clod its "stir of might."



The Portals of El Dorado

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Sculptor



There was once among the South American tribes a belief that in a
certain far-off country lived a king called El Dorado, the Gilded One.
He ruled over a region where gold and precious stones were found in
abundance. The story influenced a vast number of adventurers who led
expeditions to seek the land of golden treasure; but notwithstanding the
fact that their searched most carefully and for long periods, they all
failed to find it. The idea of the unattainable gave the suggestion to
Mrs. Whitney for her fountain. The gold of El Dorado was used as a
symbol of all material advantages which we so strongly desire - wealth,
power, fame, et cetera.