216:365 En Garde!

I forgot to take a photo today. Bother! I even reminded myself twice . . . but I managed to fall asleep without taking one :-S So, I took this on the 5th, but since I adore these lions and find them to be truly majestic, I'm sharing them both days.

They guard the front of the Art Institute, which is one of my favorite places.

They are beloved by all who live here - it's a tradition for many at Christmas to come downtown to see them wreathed for the holidays - and you can see their tails have been touched and touched, rendering the bronze visible instead of the verdigris.

They were made for the Institute's opening at its current location in 1893 and were a gift from Mrs. Henry Field (a famous name in Chicago). They were sculpted by Edward Kenneys, who gave them unofficial names having to do with their demeanor.

This one, to the south of the entrance is "stands in an attitude of defiance." The one you cannot see well, on the north side of the entrance is "on the prowl."

I have small replicas that are bookends.