Prince Of Petworth » Is That a Greek Goddess on a Motorcycle?

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Is That a Greek Goddess on a Motorcycle?

DSCN1027, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This is from the bridge connecting Adams Morgan to Woodley Park. Am I losing my mind or this a bit odd?

Category: Random

By: Prince Of Petworth | 08 July 2008 11:28 PM | 8 Comments

Guy Mondo

That’s a goddess jaywalking at 18th and Columbia…

July 9, 2008 at 12:37 am
Anonymous

If I had to take one guess, I’d say she was riding on a chariot – a modern chariot with rubber tires.

July 9, 2008 at 9:07 am
cristobal

i think this is a psa about pedestrian safety… nothing makes me want to be more cautious about crossing the street than the thought of being hit so hard by a metro bus that my dress falls off!

July 9, 2008 at 9:11 am
djdc

This must be travel by highway (sorry about the all-caps — it’s from cut-and-paste):

THREE OF LEON HERMAN’ S 1935 ART DECO RELIEF SCULPTURES DECORATING THE ABUTMENTS OF THE CALVERT STREET BRIDGE DEPICT TRANSPORTATION BY WATER, AIR, AND HIGHWAY. THE BRIDGE’S ARCHITECT, PAUL CRET, DESCRIBED THE FOURTH FIGURE, REPRESENTING RAIL TRANSPORT, AS “A MALE FIGURE, TYPICAL OF THE POWERFUL MODERN STEAM ENGINE, FLYING OVER THE NETWORK OF TRACKS COVERING THE COUNTRY.”
see:
http://www.usace.army.mil/publications/eng-pamphlets/ep870-1-67/c-4.pdf
page 183.

July 9, 2008 at 9:41 am
Mr. T in DC

Here’s my version of the same sculpture.

July 9, 2008 at 9:45 am
Detroitia

That noble lady is the goddess Detroitia! She peels out burning rubber as she takes off for her ascent to the peak of Mount Camaro. Note her gracefully extended toe as it presses the mystical gas pedal, also note her hand extended in a graceful post bird-flipping position as she waves to the slow pokes that she sees in her magic rear-view mirror. She is very peeved right now about the cost of gasoline.

July 9, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Lau

Wait, Duke Ellington or the bridge going N-S? (Sorry for the confusion – going to AM sounds like Duke Ellington, but I’ve gone across both with some frequency and never noticed the relief). Very cool!

July 9, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Kalia

Does anyone else think it looks like she powers this little go cart of hers by slapping her own ass? Giddyup!

July 9, 2008 at 4:02 pm