Adamsoni A.

(Amandus Heinrich Adamson, 1855-1929)

Sculptor, studied in Paris (1887-1891) under Carpeaux, and in Italy. Creator of the Russalka monument using his 17-year-old girlfriend as model. Sculptor of the beautiful Laeva viimne ohe (Ship’s last sigh), and others. Street previously known as Kiriku (1774), Hospidali (1786), Seegi (Almshouse, 1787-1806), for a while Tiigi, followed by Vaeste (the poor, 1881), then, after local complaints at the shame of the name, switched to Falkspargi tänav (Falk park road, 1882) which is far too long to remember for postcards so on it moved to Pargi tee (Park road, 1950) then from 1959 and until further notice: the present name. ‘Russalka’, often translated as ‘mermaid’, was a Russian warship that sank with all hands in 1893, while Slavic rusalka were often young women who died, perhaps violently, before their time – the jilted, pregnant girls or even their drowned infants – living on in the water, and leaving it to lure handsome men to their death. Adamson lived at No. 8 (house no longer there) while working on the Russalka.