The Little Mermaid turned 99 this week! Unveiled on August 23 1913, the Little Mermaid (pictured above in Ricardo Hurtubia’s gorgeous image) is a symbol of Copenhagen, sitting at Langelinje Pier, gazing out across Copenhagen Harbour.
Small (just 1.25 metres high), gentle and unimposing, the Little Mermaid statue is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.
In Andersen’s story, the Little Mermaid gives up her 300-year lifespan, and, er, mermaidness in order to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince.
The statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, and despite the fact that there are several Little Mermaid statues around the world and one in Vancouver that has a close likeness, we think the one in Copenhagen is probably the best mermaid statue in the world.
If you have any mermaid pictures (of statues or other artwork, we mean although real-life mermaid pictures would be interesting too …) you’d like to add to this post, let us know. You can leave a comment below, Tweet us or email me.
