George Frampton English, 1860-1928

Many of the leading artists of the New Sculpture movement, which dominated British sculptors during the last two decades of the nineteenth century, are best known by major public monuments in London. For Alfred Gilbert there is the innovative aluminium statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus, for Thornycroft there is the ambitious monument to Gladstone at Aldwych and for Drury there is the elegant figure of Reynolds at Burlington House. This observation certainly also holds true for George Frampton whose bronze of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens has more than once been acknowledged as London's most popular statue (see illustration). A second version of the life size bronze stands in Sefton Park, Liverpool.

The creation of Peter, first in the story The Little White Bird and from 1904 in the famous play, was so integral to Kensington Gardens that J.M. Barrie himself was responsible for the commission of Frampton's statue. Barrie sent the sculptor pictures of Michael Llewellyn-Davies, one of the five brothers who inspired the story, dressed as Peter Pan, although, it is said that the writer felt the final representation lacked some of the devilment of the fictional character.  R.H. Wilenski wrote that Peter Pan 'is probably the best loved statue in London. Peter Pan was designed to please the children; and that the children actually do love this statue, the 'bunny' and every part of it can be seen any day in the Gardens.'

Unveiled on 1 May 1912, the figure of Peter from the statue was reused by Frampton for an edition of bronze reductions. These appear to have been cast at different dates between 1913 and 1925, but not in large numbers.

RELATED LITERATURE:
Read pp.315-17; Cooper p.85; Darke p.61; R.H. Wilenski, 'A Statue Children Love', The Evening Standard, 21 May 1928, p.12; London's Immortals pp.136-37