Naked Fountain Family

In the center of the small city of Guelph, Ontario, a fountain is topped with an unusual tableau: a naked family leaping into the air, while a complacent frog looks on.

“The Family” is bronze sculpture dedicated to immigrants that settled in Guelph, and the scene was specifically proposed by the Italian community who commissioned artist William McElcheran to create the fountain. The sculpture commemorates the hard work of families in building the community. The frog? Unclear.

When the fountain was unveiled by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé on July 4, 1985, it was initially met with controversy from the religious community because it displayed nudity at a major intersection. The complaints mostly died down though, and the family remained naked as ever.

The naked fountain has been the site of several local mysteries, in particular, the discovery of a dead body in 2015. A man was found floating naked in the water in the wee hours of the morning. Some suggest the fountain’s proximity to the city’s old burial ground in St. George’s Square has hexed it, but the only evidence of a curse is the repeated teenage vandalism that plagues the flying family. 

The frog was thought to be a gift from the artist to the children of Guelph, and it used to be a working drinking fountain.