The Boy With Boot stands at the entrance of the English Garden in Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park. Life size at nearly four feet tall, it depicts a young lad with one boot on, and the other, badly leaking water, is held up for inspection. The creation has been a part of the local landscape since 1897, when it was installed to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. What the connection was between the statue and our Queen has been lost to history.
The original was made by J.L. Mott Iron Works in New York back in 1875, and was then called “The Unfortunate Boot”. There are dozens of copies around the world, but none quite so fortunate as this one. It’s been stolen twice, but public opinion was so strong against the local thieves that they returned it.
“Even thieves have laws, which they obey, that they observe.” ~ Cicero, from ancient Roman times
