Life & English: Wall Street Bull and Fearless Girl

Wall Street Bull Wall Street Bull (or Charging Bull), is a bronze sculpture that stands in Bowling Green in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City.

The bull was cast by the Bedi-Makky Art Foundry in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Di Modica spent some $360,000 to create, cast, and install the sculpture following the 1987 stock market crash as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people". The sculpture was Di Modica's idea, and in an act of guerrilla art, Bedi Makky Art Foundry and Di Modica trucked it to Lower Manhattan. On December 15, 1989, they installed it beside the Christmas tree in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a Christmas gift to New Yorkers. The 7,100-pound (3,200 kg) sculpture stands 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) long.

The oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as one of the most iconic images of New York and Wall Street.

Wall Street Bull and Fearless Girl

Fearless Girl On March 7, 2017, the night before International Women's Day, another bronze sculpture, Fearless Girl, was placed directly in front of Wall Street Bull.

The statue was designed by Kristen Visbal and commissioned by investment firm State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) to advertise for an index fund which comprises gender-diverse companies that have a relatively high percentage of women among their senior leadership. The statue measures approximately 50 inches (130 cm) tall, and weighs about 250 pounds (110 kg). Fearless Girl sent a message about workplace gender diversity and encourage companies to recruit women to their boards. The plaque below the statue states: "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," with "SHE" being both a descriptive pronoun and the fund's NASDAQ ticker symbol.

Fearless Girl was placed facing Wall Street Bull. Both are located in Manhattan's Bowling Green, at the intersection of Broadway and Whitehall Street.

Quy Minh