Ottawa Daily Foto

He's Got Swagger

Obviously the ideal, there's something in the stance of this particular boy scout that speaks of healthy confidence and uncommon self-assuredness. He just looks so comfortable in his skin! I wonder who the model was? Ironically enough, clever in approach and masterful in execution, "The Boy Scout" is a composite work based on five scouts who posed for the artist between 1914 and 1937. The artist – a Renaissance man himself – Canadian-born, American sculptor Robert Tait McKenzie was friends with Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting Movement. This bronze casting presently stands at the entrance of the National Headquarters of Scouts Canada. The original sculpture stands in front of the American Headquarters in Irving, Texas. Today children across the country registered to become part of the Movement's classic programs, a few of which include the Girl Guides, the Boy Scouts and the Beavers.