SS Empress of Japan

This is a somewhat decent installation within Stanley park. It’s actually a replica of the actual restored version of the masthead of the SS Empress of Japan which I think is now in a museum in Vancouver. It’s regal looking dragon figurehead is wonderfully painted and brilliant in color. It appears to have good maintenance and upkeep. It’s directly next to the Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture. I don’t know much about the history of this masthead or the vessel the SS Empress but it certainly caught my eye as I walked around Stanley Park.. It’s worth a stop for a photo op as it overlooks the water nearby.

The original figurehead from the SS Empress of Japan once stood here. It was a part of the ship that was scavenged by locals after the ship was decommissioned around 1926. It is said that many homes of the local elite were furnished with the lavish interiors of the once luxury ship.
Replaced in 1960 with the current fiberglass replica, the original is now housed at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.