Thorfinn Karlsefni, Bronze statue at Kelly Drive, Philadelphia, United States
Thorfinn Karlsefni is a bronze statue in Philadelphia, showing a Norse explorer standing on a granite base. The figure wears traditional Viking-era clothing and was designed as an outdoor freestanding monument.
An Icelandic sculptor made the statue in 1920 to honor a Norse explorer who led voyages to North America around 1004. It was one of the first works placed along Kelly Drive as part of a planned series of monuments.
The figure shows a Norse explorer in traditional clothing, drawn from Old Norse sources. It was part of a row of monuments along Kelly Drive meant to honor early arrivals to the Americas.
The statue was removed from its original spot along Kelly Drive due to damage and is not currently on public display. Visitors who want to see it should check with local museums or city institutions to find out where it is now.
Thorfinn Karlsefni is recorded in Old Norse sagas as the father of the first child born to a European in North America. That detail sets him apart from other figures honored in the Kelly Drive monument series.
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