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The Spirit of Transportation in a Connected World
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2 2024
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Source: Emerg Infect Dis. 2024; 30(2):406-408
[PDF-1.57 MB]
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Alternative Title:Emerg Infect Dis
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Description:Karl Bitter (1867−1915), Spirit of Transportation (1895) relief sculpture. William H. Gray III 30th Street Station (moved from Broad Street Station), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Craig Jack Photographic/Almay Stock Phot.
In early 2020, concerns about the spread of SARS- CoV-2 halted all but essential travel, causing bustling seaports, airports, and railroad stations around the world to go quiet. The same scenario played out at the Philadelphia 30th Street Station, recently renamed the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. That busy train station is the home of Spirit of Transportation, an exquisitely detailed 30-foot relief sculpture that has been displayed there since 1933. Completed in 1895 by Karl Bitter, the 3-dimensional work celebrates a triumphant march into modernity, depicted as a procession accompanying a carriage pulled by gallant horses. Leading the way are youths carrying representations of various modes of travel: train, ship, and—carried by the youngest child—a model of a futuristic airship. The Spirit herself, in the middle, is riding on an elaborate carriage trailed by a wagon pulled by uncooperative oxen. As Bitter’s sculpture shows, transportation enables
movement of people and cargo, including animals, via various vessels by land, sea, or air. Such connectivity, however, facilitates (usually unintentionally) the spread of disease-causing microbes, including emerging pathogens.
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC10826754
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Volume:30
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Issue:2
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