The Little Mermaid, Bronze statue at Langelinie harbor, Denmark.
The Little Mermaid is a bronze figure sitting on a rock at the harbor in Copenhagen, standing 125 centimeters tall. She looks out over the water as ships and walkers pass along the Langelinie promenade.
Carl Jacobsen from the Carlsberg brewery commissioned Edvard Eriksen to create her, and she was unveiled on August 23, 1913. Since then she has remained at this spot, witnessing decades of change in the city around her.
The name comes from the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, which tells of a mermaid who leaves her underwater world behind. Today she sits quietly on her rock by the water, while visitors from around the world stop to see her and take photographs.
Access is free every day, and the promenade makes a pleasant walk along the water. Morning light is often softer and crowds are lighter for taking photographs.
Edvard Eriksen worked with two models: his wife Eline posed for the body, while the ballerina Ellen Price lent her face. This collaboration explains the particular mix of grace and reserve in the figure's posture.
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